Amazon River

Amazon River

The Amazon River is one of the greatest rivers in the world by so many measures; the volume of 

water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the

area of land that drains into it, and its length and its width. it is one of the longest rivers in the world.

At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11 km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. The area

covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the course of a year. In an

average dry season 1,10,000 square km of land are water covered, while in the wet season the flooded

area of the Amazon Basin rises to 3,50,000 square km. When the flood plains and the Amazon River

Basin flood during the rainy season the Amazon River can be up to 40 km/24.8 mi wide.

Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent, including all

the torrential tropical rains that deluge the rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water. The

mouth of the Amazon River, where it meets the sea, is so wide and deep that ocean-going ships

have navigated its waters and travelled as far inland as two-thirds of the way up the entire length of

the water.

    

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