The Amazon is a natural wonder of the planet. Amazon river. Characteristics, description, map of the Amazon. The longest and deepest river in the world What river is called the Palesian Amazon

The Amazon is called the world's most water-bearing river because it carries one-fifth of the world's fresh water into the ocean. The water flow is so huge that flowing into Atlantic Ocean, the waters of the Amazon change their color and salt composition. This continues for 320 kilometers. Even by other measures, the Amazon is the greatest river and also one of the longest rivers in the world. The Amazon flows through South America, its beginning is in the Andes in Peru. The river ends its path in the Atlantic Ocean from Brazil. Various sources say that the length of the Amazon varies between 6259-6800 kilometers. It allows you to get acquainted with real natural wonders and learn interesting facts. Compare with nature.

The Amazon River consists of a large number of rivers and forests that cross half of Brazil and some neighboring countries. The basin of this river is truly the largest in the world - 7.2 million square kilometers. This also applies to water content. The Amazon is formed by the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers. From the source, the length of Marañon reaches 6,400 kilometers, but the length of Ucayali is even greater - 7 thousand kilometers. The Amazon ends its path in the Atlantic Ocean, thus forming the largest inland delta in the world - more than one hundred thousand square kilometers. Funnel-shaped mouths are formed - these are branches that cover the huge island of Marajo. Look here where it is.

According to some reports, the Amazon received this name thanks to the Spanish conquistadors, they fought on the coast of the mighty river with the Indians. The conquistadors were amazed by the fearlessness of Indian women who fought equally with men. The Spaniards, looking at the strong and brave warriors, remembered the legends about the Amazons. This is how the mighty river got its name.

History of the discovery of the Amazon

In the forties of the sixteenth century, no one had heard of the Amazons. After all, by this time the era of matriarchy had long ended, male power had been established everywhere. Such an attitude towards ancient legends cost the Spanish conquistadors dearly. And at that time they became famous for their pathological greed, unprincipledness and cruelty, especially in South America. One detachment of such conquistadors, led by Francisco de Orellana, set off towards the South American continent in 1541. He decided to cross the mainland and reach the shores of the Atlantic.

At first, the Spaniards walked through the jungle, but soon reached the shores big river Having built boats, they sailed along it. From time to time, they encountered villages on their way. The Spanish invaders immediately landed on shore to check the financial status of the people and inform them that they were now subjects of the Spanish crown. Long and hard way, accompanied by a monotonous landscape, finally led them in 1542 to a large village, which stretched along the banks of a wide river. The king's servants climbed onto the high platform and looked around; in the distance they saw the figures of puny, long-haired Indians. And the stern conquistadors set off towards these natives.

Further events took place in the shameful pages of the history of the Spanish kingdom, as well as the entire male family. The Indians did not want to share their material wealth, and certainly not recognize the power of the Spanish king. Moreover, they did not want strangers to remain on their territory. The fearless conquistadors, after a fierce and short skirmish, fled shamefully. Since the opponents were mostly women, the defeat became doubly offensive. Women rushed into battle without men, their courage did not experience the support of the opposite sex.

Although the Spaniard Francisco tried a couple more times to defeat these natives, the resistance of the women again prevailed. Their rage was so strong that the Spanish subjects hastily retreated. Having licked their wounds and counted their losses, the Spaniards couldn’t help but admire the courage of the women of this impenetrable jungle. When the journey ended, Francisco de Orellana gave the river the name Amazon, because such brave women lived here. Everyone liked this name. And in 1553, when the Spanish priest, historian and geographer Cieza de Leona published his book, he also used this name. Soon official name The Amazon became the largest river in the world.

Amazon wildlife

Thanks to similar climatic conditions, the Amazon is home to a wide variety of different animals. Some types river inhabitants found only in the Amazon River. Among predatory fish Sharks are especially worth highlighting. Most often, we are talking about a blunt-nosed shark, which is also called a bull shark. The entire shark is about three hundred kilograms, and its size reaches more than three meters. Although a blunt-nosed shark can attack a person, however, due to its bony constitution, such food is not a priority for him.

The Amazon is also popular for its bloodthirsty piranhas. These fish have one distinguishing feature- these are teeth. What gives fish a deadly grip, so much so that they can even bite through a stick. What can we say about meat. It only takes a few minutes for piranhas to devour an entire horse or pig, leaving only the skeleton behind. Amazonian dolphins, which are of medium size, effectively fight piranhas. Therefore, piranhas cannot be called the masters of the Amazon. After all, there are caimans (alligators) here who love to feast on these small predators.

In total, the river is home to approximately 2,500 species of different fish. It is worth immediately noting the electric eel. Such a snake-like creature reaches two meters in length, and the voltage can reach 300 volts. There is a large abundance of ornamental fish in the river. Most of them can be seen in home aquariums around the world. For example, guppies and swordtails are familiar on all continents.

The Queen of Rivers can truly be proud of her wealth underwater world, because such a terrible creature as the river anaconda lives here. The length of the world's largest water boa reaches eight to nine meters. The anaconda has no opponents, because it can destroy both the jaguar and the caiman. Death grip, lightning throw of the snake strikes any opponent. Locals There are many legends and stories about anacondas, of course many of them are simply beautiful fairy tales.

Some Europeans call the anaconda a safe animal; according to them, brave travelers defeated the anaconda by simply stunning it. However, there is no confirmation of this yet.

Source and delta of the Amazon

Today, the great Amazon River is considered the longest; only some time ago this title belonged to the Nile River, whose length reached almost 6,700 kilometers. At that time, it seemed that no other river could surpass the Nile in this parameter. The Amazon River was in second place, with a length of 6,400 kilometers. The Amazon began from a group of lakes that were located in Peruvian waters. Jesuit Samuel Fritz declared a similar location for the source of the Amazon River back in the 18th century. Then he was supported by Antonia Raymond, an Italian naturalist. According to his statement, the mighty river begins its journey in the Cordillera Raura.

It follows from this mountain river Marañon, whose rapid streams reach Pongdo de Manceres. It is here that the waters become a slow and majestic river that slowly moves east. For 1800 kilometers, the river flows alone. Only then does it intersect with the Ucayali River. These two streams reunite and become the great Amazon River, which ends its journey in the Atlantic Ocean.

Originally, the source of the Amazon River was main tributary Marañon. Logically, one can decide that the issue is resolved and closed. But everything turned out wrong. Colonel Gerardo Dianderas told the Peruvian Geographical Society in 1934 that the Ucayali River should be considered the priority river, not the Marañon. Ucayali begins on the mountainside of Huagra. The venerable researchers were not surprised by his passionate speeches, although the colonel argued quite reasonably. The size of the Ucayali River is much smaller than the Marañon, which is a large navigable river. Thanks to a series of tests, the great river on the map was moved further east, so it became significantly longer.

The Amazon delta has a huge area - one hundred thousand square kilometers, with a width of two hundred kilometers. There are many channels and straits, where there are a large number of islands. The Amazon Delta does not fall into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, this moment can be explained by powerful ocean tides, which come into conflict with powerful river flows.

There are many surprises on the great Amazon River that leave people confused and bewildered. Unique flora and the Amazon fauna attracts a large number of students here.

The Amazon (port. Amazonas) is a river in South America, the largest in the world in terms of basin size, depth and length. river system. Formed by the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali rivers. The length of Marañon from the source is 6400 km, Ucayali is over 7000 km. The Amazon is also fed by numerous tributaries; about 20 of them are more than 1500 km long. The most significant tributaries: on the right - Jurua, Purus, Madeira, Tapajos, Xingu, Tocantins; on the left - Isa, Japura, Rio Negru.
Together with its tributaries, the Amazon forms a system of inland waterways with a total length of more than 25 thousand km. The Amazon is a deep-sea river. At the point where it flows into the ocean, its depth reaches 100 meters and very slowly decreases its value upstream. Even at a distance of 3000 km from the mouth, the water thickness reaches 20 meters, so for ocean-going ships, the waters of this river are their home. The last river port accepting sea vessels is in the city of Manaus, 1700 km away. from the mouth. River water transport darts back and forth across the Amazon over a vast distance of 4,300 km. Main ports (from bottom to top): Belem, Santarem, Obidus, Manaus (Brazil), Iquitos (Peru).

The river is located in the north of South America, begins its journey from the Andes in Peru and ends in the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. The length of the Amazon ranges from 6259 to 6800 km according to various sources. The Amazon River and its tributaries provide 20% of all fresh water in the world. Of the 20 most long rivers 10 of the world are in the Amazon Basin.
The Amazon was discovered by the conquistador Francisco de Orellana, the first European to cross South America in its widest part. In the summer of 1542, his detachment
allegedly saw a tribe of legendary Amazons and entered into battle with them. Today it is believed that these were either Indian women who fought alongside men, or squire-mistresses, or simply long-haired Indians whom the Spaniards mistook for women. Initially, de Orellana wanted to name the river after himself, but after the battle he settled on the “Amazon” option.
Most of the Amazon basin belongs to Brazil, southwestern and western regions- Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Leaking for the most part Along the Amazon Lowland in the sublatitudinal direction near the equator, the Amazon flows into the Atlantic Ocean, forming the world's largest delta.
The Amazon River is the most water-bearing river in the world, carrying one-fifth of the world's fresh water to the ocean. globe. The flow of water is so huge that, pouring into the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon changes the salt composition and color of the ocean over a distance of 320 kilometers.
The abundance of the Amazon is explained by the fact that its northern and southern tributaries are located in different hemispheres; Accordingly, floods occur in different times year: on the right tributaries - from October to April ( summer season V Southern Hemisphere), on the left - from April to October (summer season in the Northern Hemisphere).

During the dry season, the Amazon River reaches a width of 11 kilometers, covering 110 thousand square meters with water. km, and during the rainy season it increases three times, covering 350 thousand square meters. km and spreading over 40 km or more.
Another achievement of the Amazon is the mouth of the river, the largest delta in the world, the width of which reaches 325 km. The Amazon Delta does not protrude into the waters of the Atlantic, but, on the contrary, is shifted inland. This is most likely due to the powerful ocean tides, which constantly clash with the powerful currents of the river. In this fight space force The moons prevail over the forces earth's surface. The sea tide begins to squeeze fresh water - drives it back into the mouth.
The result of such opposition is a huge shaft of water, which reaches a height of four meters. It rolls in a wide front upstream at a speed of 25 km/h. The height of the wave gradually decreases, the speed decreases, but this happens far from the border with the ocean. The impact of the tide is felt even more than 1000 km from the river mouth.
Here the freshwater flow is so great that it dilutes the sea salt for almost 300 km. from the mouth. This attracts many species of sharks to the river, which you don’t feed with bread, but let them flounder in fresh water. These scary predators rise upstream of the Amazon for 3500 km.
The rainy season here begins in March and lasts until May. Heavy rainfall causes river flooding. In the Amazon, the water level rises by 20 meters, flooding everything around for tens of kilometers. The flood lasts 120 days, then the river retreats to its original banks, sometimes changing its course in some places.

Flora and fauna of the Amazon

Essentially, the Amazon is a jungle and swamp that runs parallel to the equator, so the climatic conditions are almost the same throughout the lowlands. Temperature here is high and stable. The temperature stays at 25-28° Celsius all year round. Even at night, the temperature almost never drops below 20° Celsius.
The flora that lives here is only 30% studied by scientists. 25% of all medicinal substances in the world that are used in medicine are extracted from plants in the Amazon forest. 1800 species of birds, 250 different mammals, 1500 various types fish - all this makes up the flora and fauna of the Amazon.
There are many secrets hidden in the forests: even today, many of the large tributaries of the Amazon remain unexplored. Of the approximately 15,000 species of Amazonian animals, thousands of birds and fish, as well as hundreds of mammals, are unclassified. A rough list of animal species, some well-known, others rare, and others on the verge of extinction, includes the jaguar, tapir, peccary, spider monkey, sloth, armadillo, cayman crocodile, freshwater dolphin, boa, anaconda.
Forest birds include toucan, parrot, macaw, calibri, and gaviao. Among insects, there are more than 1,800 species of butterflies and over 200 species of mosquitoes. Fishes such as piranha, tucunare, piraraku, anuana, piraiba, porake ( electric eel), exist in such diversity that biologists cannot identify the catch at Belem markets.

Hamza underground river

According to the Department of Geophysics of the Brazilian National Observatory, in the same direction as the Amazon, but at a depth of 4 thousand meters, flows underground river, fed by groundwater. Its flow is estimated at 3 thousand m³/s.
The river, originating in the foothills of the Andes, is 6 thousand kilometers long and stretches from west to east to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean almost under the Amazon River basin. Given scientific discovery became public in August 2011 after a report made at a meeting of the Brazilian Geophysical Society in Rio de Janeiro. The river is unofficially named Hamza (port. Rio Hamza) in honor of the pioneering scientist Valiya Hamza (port. V. Hamza), born in India, who spent more than 45 years exploring the river.
The study found that, with the exception of flow direction, the Amazon (aboveground) and Hamza (underground) rivers have significantly different characteristics, the most obvious of which are their width and flow speed. While the width of the Amazon River varies from one to one hundred kilometers, the underground Hamza River reaches a width of 200-400 kilometers. However, the flow speed in the Amazon is five meters per second, and the speed in the underground river does not exceed 1 millimeter per second.
So, the Hamza River flows extremely slowly at a depth of about 4 thousand meters underground through porous soils parallel to the Amazon. According to preliminary calculations, the width of the Hamza reaches 400 km, and the water flow is approximately 3900 m³/s. The speed of the Hamza current is only a few meters per year. This is even slower than glaciers move, so it can be called a river rather conditionally. The Hamza flows into the Atlantic Ocean at great depths and the water of the Hamza River has high level salinity.




So, is this Great Amazon River the longest river on our planet? Brazilian National Center space research(INPE) states that the Amazon is the longest river in the world. The center's experts studied the waterway flowing in the north of the South American continent using satellite data. They have solved one of geography's greatest mysteries by finding the birthplace of a river that crosses Peru, Colombia and Brazil before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This point is located in the mountains in the south of Peru, and not in the north of the country, as previously thought. At the same time, scientists installed several satellite beacons, which greatly facilitated the task for experts from INPE. Now, according to the National Center for Space Research, the length of the Amazon is 6992.06 km, while the Nile flowing in Africa is 140 km shorter (6852.15 km). So this makes the South American river not only the deepest, but also the longest in the world. Until this moment, the Amazon was officially recognized as the deepest river, but in length it was always considered second after the Nile (Egypt).

According to materials. latino-america.ru

The Indians call the Amazon “Parana Ting”, which means “Queen of the Rivers”. Indeed, this river is in all respects the greatest in the world.

It carries a quarter of all water carried into the ocean by the rivers of our planet. And the area of ​​its basin—more than seven million square kilometers—allows it to accommodate the entire continent of Australia or a country such as the United States.

At the mouth, the width of the Amazon reaches two hundred kilometers, and the depth is one hundred meters! Even near the Peruvian city of Iquitos, three and a half thousand kilometers from the mouth, the river depth is more than twenty meters, so sea vessels can get here.

The fullness of the Amazon is explained simply: it flows almost exactly along the equator, and the usual summer rainy season for these places alternately occurs either in the northern hemisphere (in March-September), on its left tributaries, or in the southern (from October to April) - on the right tributaries

Thus, the great river actually lives in conditions of constant flooding.

Until recently, it was not known exactly where the origins of the Amazon are. Its length, together with the main of its two sources, the Ucayali River, was approximately 6565 kilometers, which placed the Queen of Rivers in second place in the world after the Nile, whose length is more than a hundred kilometers longer.

But an international expedition organized in 1995, having reached the upper reaches of the Ucayali, discovered that this source, in turn, is formed from the confluence of two rivers: the Apurimac and Urubamba.

Having reached the source of the Alurimac River, the researchers determined that the total length of the entire grandiose water system Apurimac-Ucayali-Amazon - 7025 kilometers and, therefore, it is the first in the world in length. The Nile with its sources the White Nile, Albert Nile, Victoria Nile, Lake Victoria Kageroi is shorter by almost three hundred kilometers.

Seventeen of them range from 1,800 to 3,500 kilometers in length. (This, for comparison, is the length of the Don and Volga!) The huge mass of river water carried out by the Amazon desalinates the sea 400 kilometers from the mouth.

The world's largest river island, located in the Amazon delta, Marajo Island, has an area of ​​48 thousand square kilometers, that is, larger than Switzerland or the Netherlands, and the entire delta is larger in area than Bulgaria.

The river gets its name Amazon after the confluence of the Ucayali and the Marañon River.

Both sources begin in the Andes and break through to the plain through narrow rocky gorges - pongos. At the bottom of these gorges there is no room even for a narrow path - it is a continuous bubbling ferocious stream with stones sticking out here and there, sometimes narrowing to twenty meters.

Marañon has a particularly capricious character. On its way out of the mountains it passes through 27 pongos. The lower, most formidable of them is Pongo de Manceriche (“Gate of Parrots”). Having broken through the last canyon, the river emerges onto the vast plain of the Amazon and becomes navigable.

The Amazonian lowlands, or Amazonia, are the greatest lowlands on Earth. It is a vast kingdom of swamps and jungles where the only roads are rivers.

However, there are plenty of these roads - after all, the rivers of the Amazon are navigable for eight thousand kilometers.

During floods, when the level of the Amazon rises by twenty meters, low banks are flooded for 80-100 kilometers in the area.

Huge territories then look like an endless sea with trees sticking out of the water.

In normal times, the Amazon does not look like a giant river, since it is divided into many branches separated by islands.

There are also floating islands on the river, slowly moving downstream. They are formed by intertwined plant roots and fallen tree trunks on which new vegetation has risen.

The slope of the Amazonian lowland is so small that the influence of ocean tides is noticeable here even 1000 kilometers from the mouth of the river.

A feature of the Amazon tides is the famous “pororoka”.

The collision of a mighty river with an oncoming tidal wave in the Amazon creates a high shaft topped with a foamy crest. It rolls up the river with a loud roar, sweeping away everything in its path.

Woe to the ship that does not have time to take refuge in a side channel or in a bay in advance - a roaring six-meter wall of water will overturn and sink it.

Since time immemorial, the Indians have experienced a superstitious fear of this mysterious and menacing phenomenon, which seemed to them like some kind of terrible monster, devastating the shores and instilling horror with its bubbling roar.

Hence the name of the formidable rampart - pororoka ("thundering water").

The first through voyage along the Amazon from the Andes to the ocean was made in 1842 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Orellana. In eight months, his squad sailed almost six thousand kilometers along the river.

Now it’s even difficult to imagine what it cost the Spaniards this almost incredible journey across the entire continent without maps, without knowledge of the characteristics of the river and the languages ​​of local tribes, without food supplies, on a fragile homemade boat.

Crocodiles and anacondas, piranhas and river sharks - Orellana’s squad had to experience all these “charms” of the Amazon, so to speak, the hard way.

More than once on the way, the Spaniards encountered warlike Indians. In one place, at the mouth of the Trombetas River, the battle was especially fierce.

And what struck the conquistadors most was that tall, half-naked women armed with bows fought in the front ranks of the Indian warriors.

They stood out for their fearlessness even among their fellow tribesmen. The brave warriors reminded the Spaniards of the ancient myth about the Amazons - female warriors who never knew defeat.

That's why Orellana called the river the Amazon.

Since then, many scientific researchers have visited the great river.

The Frenchman Condamine, the German Humboldt, the Englishman Bates and the Russian traveler Langsdorff in late XVIII — early XIX centuries managed to penetrate the wilds of the Amazon and discovered for science the amazing living world of the Queen of the Rivers and the rainforests surrounding it.

The waters of these rivers are home to 2,000 species of fish—one third of the total diversity of the Earth’s freshwater fish kingdom. (There are only 300 species in all the rivers of Europe.)

Among the unique inhabitants of the Amazon is the giant five-meter pirarucu (or arapaima), reaching 200 kilograms of weight.

A two-meter electric eel that knocks a person down with a current of 300 volts, huge river stingrays with a deadly spike on its tail, a dangerous river shark and a small toothy piranha that terrifies local residents.

The aggressiveness of this predatory creature is indescribable. A hunter who shoots a wild boar or tapir from a boat often does not have time to swim to the shore with the trophy in tow: a school of bloodthirsty fish leaves only a skeleton from the hefty carcass.

It happens that in order for a herd to successfully cross a river, shepherds have to sacrifice one cow, which, after being wounded, is taken into the water below the crossing.

While the piranhas deal with the victim, the rest of the animals manage to cross the ford. Even an evil predator caught on a fishing rod writhes desperately in the fisherman’s hands, trying to bite off his finger with razor-sharp teeth.

Huge manatees, relatives, are also found in the Amazon sea ​​cow, and river dolphins, and five-meter crocodiles - black caimans, the victims of which are often not only two-meter tapirs or miniature peccary pigs who come to drink, but also careless hunters.

True, the Indians still say that “one is better big crocodile than three little piranhas"…

But the most famous inhabitant of Amazonian waters is probably the monstrous anaconda water boa. There are anacondas up to 12 meters long and two meters in girth!

However, hunters talk about fifteen - and even eighteen-meter snakes. It is difficult to even imagine such a “living pipe” that could reach the ground, hanging from the roof of a six-story building.

Experienced Indian hunters avoid places where anacondas are found. Not a single animal in the jungle (that’s what the Amazonian forests are called in Brazil) can resist the two-hundred-kilogram giantess. Even jaguars crossing the river sometimes become victims of the anaconda.

And on the surface of calm oxbows and bays in the countless branches of the Amazon, one and a half meter leaves of the largest water lily in the world - Victoria Regia - sway. Round, with curved edges, they resemble some strange green frying pans. A child of twelve to fourteen years old can sit calmly on such a sheet, like Thumbelina.

Wet a tropical forest The Amazon is the richest in the number of species of all the forests growing on our planet. In ten square kilometers you can count up to 1500 different types flowers, 750 species of trees, more than a hundred different mammals, 400 species of birds and many snakes, amphibians and insects.

Many of them are still unknown and undescribed.

The most big trees The selva reaches 90 meters in height and 12 meters in girth. Even their names sound like music: bertoletia, mamorana, cinnamon, zedrella, babasu, rattan, hevea...

Many of them are of great value.

The tall bertholiaceae are famous for their delicious nuts. One shell, weighing several kilograms, contains up to two dozen of these nuts.

They are collected only in calm weather, since the “packaging” torn off by the wind can knock out a careless collector.

The sweet and nutritious sap of the milk tree tastes like milk, and cocoa is obtained from the fruits of the chocolate tree.

Everyone has, of course, heard about the fruits of the melon tree - papaya, and about Hevea, the main rubber plant modern world, and about the cinchona tree, the bark of which provides humanity with the only remedy to alleviate attacks of malaria, this scourge of tropical forests.

There are also many trees in the selva with beautiful colored wood, such as the pau brazil mahogany tree, which gave its name to the largest country in South America. And balsa wood is the lightest in the world. It is lighter than cork.

The Indians build giant rafts, jangadas, from balsa, floating the timber down the Amazon, Rio Negro, Madeira and other large rivers. Such rafts sometimes reach hundreds of meters in length and twenty meters in width, so that an entire village can sometimes be accommodated on them.

But most of all there are palm trees in the Amazon - over a hundred species! Almost all of them: coconut, babasu, tukuma, mukata, bakaba, zhupati and karana - benefit humans. Some with their nuts, others with wood, others with fiber, and others with aromatic juice.

And only the rattan palm is mercilessly cursed by the inhabitants of the village.

This is the longest tree on earth (sometimes it reaches three hundred meters!) - in essence, a liana. Its thin trunk is covered with sharp thorns.

Clinging to other trees, the rattan palm stretches upward towards the sun. Intertwining tree branches and trunks, it forms absolutely impenetrable thorny thickets.

No wonder the Indians call it “the devil’s rope.”

The animals that live in the jungle are no less diverse than the plants. This is the largest animal in the Amazon - a timid and cautious tapir, and a giant capybara-capybara - the world champion among rodents. (Imagine a good-natured “mouse” weighing two pounds!)

There are also a lot of monkeys here, and they are completely different from their counterparts from Africa or Asia. Among them is the eerie uakiri, or "death's head", whose white muzzle resembles a dead man's skull.

This one and a half meter cat is not afraid to attack even two-meter anacondas!

And in December, ocelots hold mating concerts at night, like our March cats.

The most inconspicuous and sedentary animal of the jungle is, of course, . He spends his entire life hanging with his back down on tree branches and slowly absorbing the foliage around him. In order not to move, he manages to turn his head not even 180, but 270 degrees!

This phlegmatic person breathes only once every eight seconds. On land, if it happens to descend to the ground, the sloth moves at a speed of 20 centimeters per minute, as if in slow motion.

“The agile simpleton,” as the Brazilians jokingly call him, is a tasty prey for the jaguar, the ocelot, the boa constrictor, and even the harpy eagle. What saves the sloth is that algae grows in its fur, coloring its skin a protective greenish color.

Because of this, a motionless sloth is almost invisible on a branch, and a predator often does not notice it.

Under the canopy of branches in the darkness of the night they rush silently vampire bats. Their small thin teeth are so sharp that a person bitten in a dream does not feel pain and only wakes up in the morning to find that the pillow is covered in blood and there is a tiny wound on the neck.

Of the hundreds of species of birds in the jungle, the most famous among us, of course, are tiny, the size of a bee.

And huge, up to a meter in length, macaw parrots. Their bright plumage, as well as the sparkling wings of numerous butterflies, enliven the monotonous greenery of the forest.

And above the treetops soars the most terrible feathered predator of the Amazon - the crested tropical eagle, the monkey-eating harpy. Powerful muscles and five-centimeter claws make the harpy a real threat to small monkeys and sloths.

In the forests of the Amazon basin there are many snakes, including poisonous ones. It is no coincidence that Brazil ranks first in the world in the number of people who die annually from snake bites. But Indians have long tamed small boas and kept them in huts for protection from rodents and snakes.

The huge tarantula spider amazes and horrifies.

It feeds on unwary hummingbirds caught in its web, as wide as a fishing net. And Indian children, for the sake of mischief, sometimes throw a rope loop around this spider and lead it around the village like a dog.

The Amazon River flows through South America, originating in the Peruvian Andes and pouring its waters into the Atlantic Ocean in Brazilian territory. Judging by various sources, its length ranges from 6259-6800 km. Together with its tributaries, this river supplies the planet’s population with 20% of the available fresh water. Of the twenty longest rivers, half belong to the Amazon basin.

The source coordinates are 4°26′25″ S. w. 73°26′50″ W. d., and the mouth - 0°35′35″ S. w. 49°57′22″ W d.

What is the object known for?

The first European to cross the Amazon was the conquistador de Orellana. This happened in 1542, when his squad allegedly met the legendary tribe of Amazons who attacked them.

It is now generally accepted that they were Indian women who fought alongside men, although it is possible that Europeans mistook warriors wearing long hair. Be that as it may, the conquistador, who first wanted to name this river by his own name, changed his mind as a result of the battle, so it received its current name - “Amazon”.

The river is deservedly proud of its extraordinary flora and fauna. Only here many truly unique plants grow, and not all of them have been studied, since according to scientists, only a third of the Amazon flora has been examined.

The local fauna also attracts attention. It is enough to name only the water boa, which is better known to many under the name anaconda or merciless piranhas.

Important: a twenty-meter anaconda can easily swallow a jaguar, not to mention such a “little thing” as a person.

Since time immemorial, the Amazon has been home to three-meter-long araipama fish, whose weight reaches one and a half centners. Previously, larger individuals were also found, but poachers tried to exterminate these rarities, so now they are much less common. The Amazon is also home to the largest river dolphin- pink. The Aborigines call it buto. For a sea dweller, a length of 2.5 meters is not surprising, but among its river counterparts, the pink dolphin is a real giant.

The main area of ​​the Amazon is located in Brazil. This country has the largest river port - Manaus, which is also the capital of the state. Many come here to feel like pioneers:

• here you can see the aborigines in person;
• visit the jungle;
• enjoy the spectacle of the Rio Negro flowing into the Amazon.

During excursions, travelers experience culture shock: they are struck by the proximity of a huge metropolis, in which vibrant and active activities are taking place. night life with the poor and sloppy docks. The “rubber boom” of the last century left the city with a magnificent opera house built in the neoclassical style. World celebrities have previously performed there.

An extraordinary miracle of the Amazon basin is the largest island of Marajo. Its area is 40 thousand kilometers, and only a quarter of a million people live on it.

Important: this amazing island, according to historians, can be considered the center of an ancient civilization.

It was on the island that a huge state was previously freely located, the territory of which is comparable to Holland. Nowadays, Marajo makes a profit only from serving tourists who come here to witness the wonders of the majestic Amazon with their own eyes.

1. The Amazon is known for its bloodthirsty piranhas. The weight of the fish does not exceed one kilogram, but they are very dangerous and bloodthirsty. Main feature is their toothy jaw and hunts in large packs.

2. The Amazon forest is the oldest in the world. Until now, scientists are engaged in heated discussions about how many years Amazonian forests. Researchers claim that their age is over 100 million years.

3. A bridge was built across a tributary of the Amazon, the Rio Negro, in 2010, which connected the port of Manaus and the city of Iranduba. The bridge is more than 3.5 km long. This bridge is the only one on the river. Moreover, before this there were no bridges across the river at all.

4. In 2011, Brazilian scientists stunned the world with a discovery: another underground river flows under the Amazon River basin. Its channel is located at a depth of approximately 4 kilometers, it almost exactly copies the ground older sister, however, has high salinity And low speed currents. The unofficial name of the river is Hamza.

5. A giant Amazon Victoria leaf can easily seat a small child. The diameter of the sheet is over 2 meters, so the child will not drown. The sheet can withstand a weight of 30-50 kg. Amazonian Victoria blooms only at night once a year, blooming snow-white flowers, which hide under the water at dawn.

Main attractions

Along the Amazon River there are many settlements and cities that are completely cut off from the civilized world. Often they can only be reached by boat or motorcycle through the jungle. For example, the city of Iquitos has 500,000 inhabitants and is located in the middle of the jungle. Local residents do not know any other transport except boats and three-wheeled motorcycles.

Many houses near the river are built on high wooden stilts, so that when the Amazon floods, the house does not become flooded. For many residents, a boat is the only means of transportation.

The Amazon is the longest river in the world after the Nile. The river has over 200 tributaries, 100 of them are navigable. 17 flows into the Amazon large rivers with a length of 1500-3500 km, in total all these rivers form a water area equal to 7,337,000 km2. In terms of the size of the basin, as well as the length of the river system and deep water, the Amazon is the largest in the world. Together with its tributaries, the river forms a system of internal waterways with a total length of over 25 thousand km.

Geography

The Amazon is a river that flows in South America. The main part of the Amazon basin belongs to Brazil, the western and southwestern regions belong to Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

The coordinates of the source of the Amazon are as follows: 73 degrees west longitude, 5 degrees south latitude.

The coordinates of the mouth of the Amazon are as follows: 0 degrees latitude and 50 degrees west longitude.

The Amazon originates in Peru from Lake Lavricoja - northeast of the city of Lima, 230 km on the Bombon Hills, which stretches between the Eastern and Western Cordilleras. Initially, it flows in meanders through a narrow 220 km mountain valley, forming a series of rapids and waterfalls. Only after 700 km of length at Han de Bracamoras does the river become navigable. Then it turns in an arc of 250 km to the east and northeast and cuts through the Cordillera with its 13 streams.

Near Wrentema, the Amazon flows to a height of 378 m, where its width reaches 1,600 m, then, after running a space of 950 km through the Andes, it emerges into the wooded plain of South America, where it no longer poses any obstacles to navigation. It then continues along the lowlands of Brazil and Peru for 3,650 km, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean under the equator. The total length of the river is approximately 5,000 km.

Amazon is one of the most famous rivers peace. Everyone knows where the Amazon is - it practically crosses South America. The river received its name in 1542. It was then that the travelers were forced to engage in battle with Indian warriors led by women. The Spaniards were reminded of the female warriors - the Amazons. Exactly because of this reason water artery received the name "River of the Amazons" - Rio de las Amazonas. It is likely that the warriors were not actually women, they simply wore their hair in braids, which confused the Spanish travelers.

Another version claims that the name comes 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 "amasunu" is the name of the destructive tidal wave that occurs at the mouth of the river. This version is confirmed by the fact that the Indians This is the name of the river only in the lower reaches, but in the middle it was called Saolimoes.

The modern name of the river is Amazonas (in Russian - Amazon). Where is this beautiful river, what are its main characteristics and what happens on its banks - all this is worth getting to know the river better.

Source

To find out where the Amazon River is, you should start by studying its source. For a long time It was not known exactly where the river’s waters originate, but the answer to this question has now been found. Apacheta Creek, flowing from the glacier of Mount Misimi, is where the river is born. It is difficult to say where the Amazon is located - in which country - 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 below Apacheta meets the Caruasantu stream, becoming the small Loketu River. On its way, the river is replenished with water from a huge number of different streams, gradually growing into the Hornillos River. Having absorbed the waters of several more rivers, the name Apurimac is born.

After going a long way, at the highlands the stream connects with Mantaro, turning into Yene. After merging with Perene and Urubamba, the upper course of the river becomes calmer and receives the name Ucayali. Downstream, the larger and more powerful Marañon, which originates in Lake Llauricocha, joins the river.

Merging together, the rivers give birth to the one we are talking about - the Amazon.

Estuary

The answer to the question of where the mouth of the Amazon is located is very simple - in Brazil. Despite the fact that the mouth of this river is all located 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 most big Island, which is surrounded by fresh waters - Marajo. The mouth of the Amazon is a fifth of the fresh water of the entire planet.

When observing the river from space, the flow of water that the Amazon gives to the ocean can be discerned almost 400 kilometers from the shore.

River mode

The main reservoir of fresh water on the planet is the Amazon. Where is its source, where does the river get such a huge amount of water? The river receives its food from a large number of tributaries. Besides, humid climate gives a large influx of water due to precipitation. Upstream The river is fed by melting snow in the Andes.

The river regime is complex and interesting. Wherever the Amazon is located, you can see a deep river all year round. Tributaries on 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 Hemisphere. For this reason, floods near the right-bank tributaries occur in October - March, and near the left-bank tributaries - in April - October. The result of these floods is a smoothing of the flow.

The lower reaches of the Amazon River, where its source is located, are largely dependent on ocean tides. The tidal wave rises almost one and a half kilometers upstream. When the water rises, huge areas along the banks of the river are flooded - this is the largest flood. The width of the floodplain can reach 100 kilometers.

Where does it leak

It has long been known where the Amazon River is located - it flows mostly in Brazil, but some parts of the basin include parts of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

In its middle course, at an altitude of 3.5 thousand meters above sea level, the river runs along the picturesque banks of humid forests. There are frequent waterfalls in this area, and the current is stormy, because the river has to make its way through a mountain range. Having descended from the mountain slopes, the Amazon spreads across tropical jungle, across the wide

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 an underground river flows under it, fed by groundwater - the Hamza.

Navigability

The main channel remains navigable all the way to the foot of the Andes, which is more than 4 thousand kilometers from the source. Ocean-going ships can go as far as the city of Manaus, located just 1,690 kilometers from the mouth. Average length of all waterways is 25 thousand kilometers.

Closer to the source, the width of the Amazon reaches 15 kilometers - here you can’t even see the opposite bank.

Animal world

The Amazon, home to many plants, is home to a huge number of fish and animals. Thanks to strong water spills, aquatic inhabitants occupy far from the most last place in the huge list of Amazon animals. During major floods, you can observe a unique spectacle - entire islands float along the river with many species of plants and animals that did not have time to escape.

One of the most famous fish in the Amazon is the piranha. This fish can sense blood from a great distance. Having learned that there is prey, the flock rushes towards the target with great speed. These predators, in the process of chasing, go so far as to rush at each other. Even the largest animal that falls into the water has no chance of saving its life - piranhas cope with the task in minutes.

The Amazon is home to a large number unique fish and animals that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Scientists all over the world are studying the banks of the river, but it is still impossible to say what about the river, its animals and flora everything is known - the dense forests of the Amazon banks are very difficult to study.