Where is the longest river in the world? Not so long ago it was believed that in Africa. However, studies of recent decades claim a completely different thing. It would seem that with modern technology, such nuances should have been known for a long time. But the question of which river is the longest in the world can still cause controversy and disagreement. Let's figure it out, and also find out something interesting about our record holder.
Neal or Amazon?
The length of the river is a very controversial parameter. To measure it, you need to know exactly where the watercourse begins, where it ends and how it flows between these points. Reliable data on this is not always easy to obtain, because the mouth of the river often changes due to severe erosion, and sometimes it completely dries and gets lost. The source of the river is usually considered the beginning of its longest tributary, and its choice is erroneous.
For a long time, the Nile River was considered the longest, the length of which is about 6852 meters. It flows in eastern Africa and is considered the largest watercourse of the mainland. The second longest was considered the Amazon in South America. However, now the rivers have changed places.
In the middle of the 20th century, researchers found that the beginning of the Amazon was chosen incorrectly, and its starting point is not the left tributary, but the right. Today, based on modern measurements and materials, which include satellite maps, it can be argued that the length of the Amazon River is at least 6992 meters. This, without a doubt, makes it the longest in the world.
River discovery
According to rough estimates, the Amazon was "born" about 9 million years ago. Before the world knew about it, numerous Indian tribes lived in its basin. Europeans appeared on this territory in 1542, led by the conquistador and traveler Francisco de Aureliano, who is considered the discoverer of the river.
The Spaniard landed in the west of South America and, crossing the mountains, went to rafting. The monk in his team chronicled the journey. He described the banks of the river as impenetrable jungle, where from time to time there were settlements of people. The conquistadors robbed them or exchanged food with them. Weeks later, the Spaniards reached the mouth of the river, and Francisco Orellano became the first to swim along its entire length and cross the mainland from west to east in the widest part.
According to the monk, the conquistador chose the name "Amazon" after meeting with a tribe of cruel and warlike women who bravely fought back from his group. True, other researchers of the river did not find any signs of a purely female settlement and took the story for a beautiful legend. According to another version, the name comes from the local word "amasunu", which translates as "big river".
Queen of the Rivers
People living here sometimes call her “queen”. The longest river in the world is located in the northern part of the continent of South America, almost completely crossing it from west to east. It begins in the mountains of Peru and is formed by the merger of two large tributaries - the Maranion and Ucayali rivers, flows into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the mainland. According to some reports, the length of the Amazon River is not even 6992 meters, but more than 7000 meters (if you count from the tributary Apachetu).
At the mouth, it forms a huge delta with an area of one hundred square kilometers. It is permeated by hundreds of straits, streams, streams and channels, washing many islands. Powerful oceanic tides form strong waves, defeating the course of the river and making their way into the land. That is why the Amazon delta does not start at the edge of the mainland, but extends into it for about 300 kilometers. Local tidal waves can reach 3-4 meters and move at a speed of 20 km / h.
River basin
Hundreds of tributaries flow into the Amazon. About 20 of them are large rivers, which reach a length of 1500-3000 kilometers. The depth of the Amazon in the delta region is about a hundred meters, but with progress to the mainland it gradually decreases. Sea vessels call 1700 kilometers from the mouth to the port of Manaus. For river transport, the Amazon and its tributaries are accessible over 4,300 kilometers.
The longest river basin in the world occupies 7,050,000 km². It covers the territory of Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Gaina, although most of it is located in the northern part of Brazil. The Amazon is located on both sides of the equator: its right tributaries are in the Southern Hemisphere, and the left - in the Northern. Due to this arrangement, the rainy season falls at different times, and the river remains full-flowing throughout the year.
Extraordinary nature
The basin of the longest river in the world is almost entirely located in the equatorial zone. Due to the warm and humid climate, as well as the constant spills of the Amazon, dense tropical forests with a huge variety of species have formed here.
The river basin is considered one of the least studied and most dangerous places on the planet. Its impenetrable jungle is inhabited by anacondas, piranhas, leopard cats, caimans, inia river dolphins, as well as the world's largest rodents - capybaras, reaching one and a half meters in length.
Thousands of species of animals live in the Amazon and its coastal territories, many of which are still not described by science. Its rain forests occupy about 5.5 million km 2 . They are called the "lungs of the planet", because almost 50% of all oxygen on Earth is produced there. In the Amazon thickets all kinds of vines, orchids, ferns, epiphytes, palm trees, Brazil nuts with a trunk diameter of up to 2 meters grow. Here is the largest water lily in the world - Victoria regia. The diameter of its leaf reaches 2 meters, and flowers - 30 centimeters.