The Amazon river is undoubtedly one of the world’s most significant water bodies.
Apart from being the world’s largest, there are many other facts about this massive water body that are both intriguing as well as surprising.
For starters, here are some amazing facts about the Amazon river we bet you didn’t know about.
1. World’s richest tropical forest
The Amazon rainforest inhabits the drainage basin of the Amazon river, the reason why this massive rainforest is the world’s richest in terms of biodiversity. As per the records, this rainforest is home to millions of insect species, 2000 mammals and birds, and 40000 plant species, along with some 390 billion individual trees.
2. No bridges!
Well, it might be difficult to comprehend how this mighty river has no bridge over it! It’s just the river, lush green forests surrounding it, and endless views of the sky to grace your views. As such, 10 million people living on the banks of this river can get past this river only via boat, whereas lack of infrastructure has helped the region to retain its natural appeal. Also, the lack of bridges is due to the seasonal changes in the Amazon riverbed.
3. Its origination
This river has been in debate regarding its origin and length for a long time. It’s so complicated that there are various sources to cement their records, and arguing that it originated from the Mismi Peak in the Andes of Peru, and even Maranon River to the Ucayali River. With different sources suggesting its claim of origin, it’s worth noting that they are all located in Peru.
4. World’s largest river by volume of water
There have been debates regarding the world’s longest river for a long time between the Amazon and Nile; however, the Amazon has no competition when it comes to its size or volume. It is undoubtedly the world’s largest river with an average discharge volume of 209,000 m3/s; this vast freshwater discharge of the Amazon river travels straight into the Atlantic Ocean, which helps in diluting the sea’s salinity for an area of around 2500000 km².
5. World’s second longest river
While the Nile River often gets away with the title of world’s longest river with a length of 6695 km, the Amazon also often disputes that claim. There have been many expeditions led by famous explorers, who set off to measure its length and many found that its total length is greater than that of the Nile river. Yet, there are others who have claimed that the distance of the Amazon river is lesser than that of Nile, which further leads to more confusion, and is still open for future debates.
6. Crosses across several countries
The Amazon river crosses through Columbia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru, with Brazil holding the largest portion by far. Also, the areas or the Amazon river’s watershed receives freshwater from even more countries. Plus, rainfall in Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela supplies the Amazon with much of its freshwater.
7. It once flowed in opposite direction
This mighty river, at this moment, flows into the Atlantic Ocean, which was always not the case. As per the records, several millions years ago, the river used to flow westward, which changed its course when a tilt in the earth caused the river’s reversed flow eastward. If records are to go by, this change occurred due to the result of erosion along with a series of geological occurrences.
