The Nile is famous for being the longest river in the world. But it is overtaken by others due to the extraordinary flow of water. Located in the northern part of South America is the Amazon River.
The 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) measurement is slightly shorter than the Nile, but it corresponds to the distance from New York City to Rome, reports Britannica. The Amazon River passes through Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela, but Brazil is the largest. Also known as the Solimues River, it is famous for meeting the Rio Negro River and forming the main channel of the Amazon River.
For six kilometers, the two rivers run side by side without mixing, creating a beautiful contrasting landscape of semi-pale sandy waters and dark black waters.
Where the Amazon River begins has been a topic of discussion for centuries. Its western spring is located on Mount Andean, just 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Its mouth is located on the northeast coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The mouth of the Amazon River is approximately 202 miles wide and is approximately the same distance (212.98 miles) between London and Paris.
The river carries the world's largest freshwater, and according to the Earth Observatory, it accounts for almost 20% of the Earth's emissions.
The Amazon River drains approximately 200,000 liters of freshwater into the ocean per second. In fact, it releases a lot of freshwater into the Atlantic Ocean and affects the Caribbean sea level.
“On average, the model predicts that only the Amazon River will cause sea levels around the Caribbean, which would be 3 cm higher without Amazon freshwater contributions,” Treehugger reported.
The incredible river is also known for its incredibly unique aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, including electric eels, arapaima fish, green anacondas, piranha fish, and black caimans.
However, it is best known for having dolphins on the Amazon River.
“These dolphins are recognized in males with a more prominent adult pink colour,” writes Atlas of the World. The Amazon River dolphin weighs 185 kg and can grow to 2.5 meters.
Another unique aspect of the Amazon River dolphins is their ability to turn their necks to the left and right that other dolphins can't.
Despite its size, the bridge does not allow locals to cross which side. Approximately 10 million people live on the banks of the Amazon River and can only be crossed by boat.
The rainy season “can rise over the river at 30 feet, tripling the width of the river in some places,” Treehugger reported.
“Amazon's Soft Riverbanks were eroded by seasonal stormwater flooding, which previously made sturdy areas into volatile flood plains and forced locals to travel by boat.
