Amazon River

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Unarguably, Amazon is the mightiest river of the world. Supplying the oceans with one fifth of the total volume of fresh water it is the widest and the second longest river of the world. The headwaters of the Amazon begin high in the Andes  Mountains of South America. The riversnakes  through the entire northern half of the continent.  It is more than four thousand miles long up to its mouth flowing to the Atlantic Ocean.  The river system drains some two fifth of the South American continent and is the largest of any river system. The drainage area is so large that it spans over parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador  and Venezuela. It has more than a thousand tributaries in total which makes up the vast river system.

The main river is on average one mile to six miles in width and for many it is regarded as a sea due to its vastness. 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 traveled as far inland as two-thirds the way up the entire length of the river.

Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into the lowest place, which happens to be the Amazon River.  The sheer volume of rain in the Amazon jungle, as well as the slope of the surrounding land, combine to create the enormous river known as the Amazon.  As the Amazon River floods every year, a sizeable portion of South America sinks several inches because of the extra weight and then rises again as the waters recede, a study has found.

This annual rise and fall of earth's crust is the largest ever detected, and it may one day help scientists tally the total amount of water on Earth.  Recently, a new study adds further evidence the theory that the world's largest river, the Amazon, once flowed in the opposite direction, emptying into the Pacific Ocean.  Many stories and myths are related to the river which adds to its greatness.  The Amazon River is the greatest river of the world.

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