The Amazon is one of the most famous rivers in the world. Everyone knows where the Amazon is - it almost crosses South America. The river got its name in 1542. It was then that travelers were forced to engage in battle with Native American warriors led by women. The Spaniards were reminded of this by female warriors - the Amazons. It is for this reason that the aquatic artery was called the Amazon River, the Rio de las Amazonas. It is likely that in fact the warriors were not women, they simply braided their hair in braids, which confused the Spanish travelers.
Another version claims that the name came from the Indian expression "big water" - Amazonas. This version is similar to the truth, only the Indians do not use this expression in the names of other rivers. Some researchers believe that "amasuna" is the name for the destructive tidal wave that occurs at the mouth of the river. Confirmation of this version is that the Indians only call the river so in the lower reaches, on average it had the name Saolimiens.
The modern name of the river is Amazonas (in Russian - Amazon). Where is this beautiful river, what are its main characteristics and what is happening on its banks - all this is worth knowing the river better.
Source
To find out where the Amazon River is located, you should start by exploring its source. For a long time it was not known exactly where the river’s water came from, but at present an answer to this question has been found. Apacheta stream flowing from the glacier of Mount Misimi - this is where the river is born. To say where the Amazon is located - in which country - is difficult, because it flows through the territory of several states. However, it begins in Peru, in the Andes, at an altitude of more than 5 thousand meters.
A little lower than Apacheta, it meets the stream of Karuasantu, turning into a small river Loketu. On its way, the rivulet is replenished with the waters of a huge number of different streams, gradually developing into the Hornillos River. Having taken in the waters of several more rivers, a turbulent stream, called Apurimak, is born.
Having traveled a long way, in the highlands the stream unites with Mantaro, turning into Jena. After merging with Perene and Urubamba, the upper course of the river becomes calmer and is called Ukayali. Downstream, the larger and more powerful Maranion flows into the river, originating in Lake Lyaurikocha.
Having merged together, the rivers give birth to the one in question, the Amazon.
Mouth
It is very simple to answer the question of where the mouth of the Amazon is - in Brazil. Despite the fact that the mouth of this river is the widest in the world, it is all in one country. The area of the Amazon Delta is more than 100 thousand kilometers. Two of the largest branches of the river form the largest island that is surrounded by fresh water - Marajo. The mouth of the Amazon is a fifth of the fresh water of the entire planet.
When observing a river from space, the flow of water that the Amazon gives to the ocean can be discerned almost 400 kilometers from the coast.
River mode
The main storehouse of fresh water on the planet is the Amazon. Where is its source, where does the river get such a huge amount of water from? The river receives food from a large number of tributaries. In addition, a humid climate gives a large influx of water and due to rainfall. The upper reaches of the river are fed by melting snow in the Andes.
The river regime is complex and interesting. Wherever the Amazon is, you can observe a full-flowing river all year round. Inflows from opposite sides of the river have different flood times. This is explained by the fact that tributaries from the right bank are in the Southern Hemisphere, and from the left - in the Northern. For this reason, floods on the right-bank tributaries occur in October - March, and on the left-bank tributaries - in April - October. The result of these floods is the smoothing of runoff.
The lower reaches of the Amazon River, where its source is located, largely depends on the tides of the ocean. The tidal wave rises almost one and a half kilometers upstream. During the rise of water, huge areas are flooded along the banks of the river - this is the largest flood. The width of the floodplain can reach 100 kilometers.
Where does it flow
It has long been known where the Amazon River is located - it flows mainly in Brazil, but some parts of the basin cover parts of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In the middle reaches, at an altitude of 3.5 thousand meters above sea level, the river runs along the picturesque banks of humid forests. Waterfalls are frequent on this site, the current is stormy, because the river has to break through the mountains. Having descended from the mountain slopes, the Amazon is scattered in the tropical jungle, in the wide Amazon lowland.
The river flows along the equator, practically without changing direction from west to east. It is curious that at a depth of 4 thousand meters under the river channel an underground river feeds on groundwater - Hamza.
Navigability
The main channel remains navigable to the very foot of the Andes, which is more than 4 thousand kilometers from the source. Ocean ships can rise to the city of Manaus, located just 1690 kilometers from the estuary. The average length of all waterways is 25 thousand kilometers.
Closer to the source, the width of the Amazon reaches 15 kilometers - you can’t even see the opposite shore.
Animal world
The Amazon, where many plants are located, is home to a huge number of fish and animals. Thanks to strong spills of water, aquatic inhabitants occupy far from the last place in the huge list of animals of the Amazon. During major floods, a unique sight can be observed - whole islands with many species of plants and animals floating on the river, who did not have time to escape.
One of the most famous fish of the Amazon is piranha. This fish can feel blood at a great distance. Upon learning that there is prey, the flock rushes towards the target with great speed. These predators in the process of chasing reach the point that they rush at each other. Even the largest animal that has fallen into the water has no chance of saving life - piranhas cope with the task in minutes.
The Amazon is home to a large number of unique fish and animals that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Scientists all over the world study the banks of the river, but it is still impossible to say that everything is known about the river, its animal and plant worlds - the dense forests of the Amazon are very difficult to study.