The Amazon River

The Amazon River is a huge river in South America. It carries more water than any other river on Earth. The river starts in the Andes Mountains in Peru and flows across Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. It runs through the biggest rainforest in the world.

A Giant River

The Amazon is about 4,000 miles long. Some people think it may be even longer than the Nile. The river has thousands of smaller rivers that flow into it. So much water pours from the Amazon into the ocean that the sea near its mouth turns brownish.

A map traces the mighty Amazon River through the jungle.
A map traces the mighty Amazon River through the jungle. (http://www.maps-for-free.com/about.html / Wikimedia Commons)

Amazing Animals

The Amazon River is home to many kinds of animals. Pink river dolphins, giant otters, and piranhas live in its waters. Anacondas and caimans also swim in the river. The rainforest around it is full of monkeys, birds, and colorful frogs.

Fun Facts

  • The Amazon pours about 20 percent of all the fresh river water in the world into the oceans.
  • There are no bridges that cross the main Amazon River.
  • Some Amazon fish can weigh over 400 pounds.

Did You Know?

The Amazon rainforest is sometimes called the 'lungs of the Earth' because it makes so much oxygen.