THE AMAZON RIVER: The Living Artery of the World’s Largest Rainforest

The Amazon River is the most voluminous river on Earth and one of the longest — its length often debated with that of the Nile. It flows through dense rainforests, sustains Indigenous communities, and gives life to an extraordinary biodiversity found nowhere else on the planet. 🐒🐍🦋

🔍 Main Characteristics

• 🌎 Location: South America — it originates in the Peruvian Andes and flows eastward across Colombia and Brazil, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

• 📏 Length: Approximately 6,400 to 7,000 km, depending on how it is measured.

• 💧 Average discharge: About 200,000 to 220,000 cubic meters per second — the largest in the world.

• 🌍 Amazon Basin: Around 7 million square kilometers — larger than the entire continent of Europe.

• 🏞️ Countries within the basin: Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname.

🌿 Biodiversity and Ecosystem

• 🐟 More than 2,500 known fish species, including the arapaima and the electric eel.

• 🌱 Countless plant species — from giant trees to medicinal herbs, many of them endemic.

• 🐍 Iconic wildlife: the anaconda, black caiman, pink river dolphin, jaguar, and piranhas.

• 🦜 Exotic birds: macaws, toucans, and harpy eagles.

• 🐜 Millions of insects, with many species still not scientifically classified.

🛶 Cultural and Human Aspects

• 🏞️ Indigenous peoples: Hundreds of ethnic groups with distinct languages and cultures, such as the Ticuna, Yanomami, and Asháninka, among many others.

• 📿 Myths and legends: The Amazon is home to ancient tales of giant serpents, forest spirits, and lost cities.

• 🏡 Many riverine communities live in floating houses or stilt houses, adapting to the rhythm of the floods and rains.

☀️ Curiosities

• 🌧️ During the rainy season, the river can reach up to 50 kilometers in width.

• 🌿 The Amazon rainforest absorbs billions of tons of CO₂ each year, playing a vital role in the planet’s climate balance.

• 🌙 The river’s name comes from a legend: Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana reported battles with warrior women, reminiscent of the Amazons from Greek mythology.

🚢 Amazing Fact

Even though it lies deep within the rainforest, the Amazon River is navigable for most of its course. Large vessels can travel from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Iquitos, Peru. The port city of Manaus, Brazil, stands as a major industrial and commercial hub right in the heart of the jungle.