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Amazon River

The Amazon River discharges nearly a fifth of the total amount of freshwater going into the oceans of the world and it has the largest drainage basin in the world. It has a water flow five times that of the Congo and 12 times that of the Mississippi. As such, it is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total river flow greater than the next top ten largest rivers flowing into the ocean combined. In 24 hours, the Amazon River contributes into the Atlantic the same amount of water as it takes Thames a whole year to carry past London.

The enormous river system flows through numerous contrasting landscapes, climates and ecosystems. The statistics are mindboggling. For example, the Amazon River is 6,470 km (or 4,020 miles) long and has a total water flow of 160,000 to 200,000 cubic meters (or 5.6-7 million cubic ft) per second, which varies seasonally. One of the most important aspects of the Amazon river system is the varied types of water which occur within the basin. This is examplified near Manaus, where the Amazon and the Rio Negro (Black River in Spanish) flow together. The Amazon has a muddy brown color and is full of silt and alluvial matter. Locally, this is referred to as white water river. Contrasting this, the Rio Negro is the color of strong tea and has little silt, and is what you'd expect in a black water river. Where these two large rivers converge at Manaus, the river water is clearly divided into 2 colors for the 14-25 km (or 9-15 miles) downstream where they eventually merge and mix together.

Traveling by boat at high water allows for easy observation of wildlife in the flooded forest. The animals are located at the treetops, which are inaccessible but nearly at eye level.

The river systems and flood plains in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela whose waters drain into the Solimões and its tributaries are called the "Upper Amazon".

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