The Amazon River Basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin or catchment basin is an extent or an area of land where all surface water from rain, melting snow, or ice converges to a single point at a lower elevation, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, s…
What animals live in the Amazon River basin?
What is the most common animal in the Amazon Rainforest?
- These birds, along with Toucans, are one of the most widely-represented animals in the Amazon. Their beauty is beyond compare. ...
- Parakeets – the smallest parrots.
- Parrots and Macaws – the largest.
Is the Amazon Basin the same as the Amazon River?
The Amazon River is the greatest river in the world. It carries almost 20% of all the freshwater in the world discharging into the oceans. The area of land that drains into the river — the Amazon Basin — is the largest basin of any one river in the world. The Amazon River is the widest and arguably longest (7,100 km) river on earth.
What covers most of the basin of the Amazon River?
The Amazon River basin, which includes the Amazon Rainforest, covers almost three million square miles and overlaps the boundaries of nine countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. By some estimates, this region is home to one-tenth of the world's animal species.
Do people live in the Amazon River basin?
People have lived in the Amazon River basin for thousands of years relying on it for fresh water, food and transportation. The building of river ports along the Amazon River and its tributaries have been an important source of development. Economic development and human activities are threatening the river.
What is the Amazon basin used for?
The Amazon rainforest plays an important part in regulating the world's oxygen and carbon cycles. It produces roughly 6 percent of the world's oxygen and has long been thought to act as a carbon sink, meaning it readily absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How do people use water from the Amazon river?
From waterfalls to streams and rivers, the Amazon has an abundance of water, which is used by indigenous peoples for their everyday activities such as bathing. The Amazon river is a vital source of food for indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
What is the basin of the Amazon river?
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 6,300,000 km2 (2,400,000 sq mi), or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent.
Is the Amazon river drinkable?
Answer and Explanation: No, the Amazon River's water is not safe for humans to drink, as it is far too muddy and has too many biological components; a person who drank this water would likely get sick.
What are 5 facts about the Amazon river?
15 Facts About the Amazon River That'll Blow Your MindThe Amazon River originates in Peru. ... The Amazon River System meanders through nine South America countries. ... A Slovenian athlete once swam almost the entire length of the Amazon River, in 66 days. ... The Amazon River provides 20% of the ocean's fresh-water supply.More items...•
How do people live in the Amazon basin?
The number of indigenous people living in the Amazon Basin is poorly quantified, but some 20 million people in 8 Amazon countries and the Department of French Guiana are classified as "indigenous"....Country.CountryUncontacted groupsPopulation estimatePeru12 to 15< 1000Venezuela2 to 3A few hundred4 more rows•Apr 1, 2019
Why is the Amazon river important?
The river and its tributaries are a critical thoroughfare for an area the size of the continental United States and function as a key source of food and livelihoods for millions of people. Yet despite its vastness and importance, the mighty Amazon is looking increasingly vulnerable due to human activities.
What are the crops grown in Amazon basin?
The people of Amazon Basin cultivate tapioca, pineapple and sweet potato. Cash crops such as coffee, maize and cocoa are also grown. Slash and bum agriculture are practised by the inhabitants of the Amazon basin.
How Clean Is Amazon River?
It carries more water than any other river in the world and is one of the last unstopped, undammed rivers that go from source to the ocean left. Despite its beauty and importance, the river is under constant threats of degradation and contamination.
Can you swim in the Amazon river?
0:366:00Is it safe to swim in the Amazon River? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPlaces. We are in the mouth of the Amazon River also known as the Amazon basin.MorePlaces. We are in the mouth of the Amazon River also known as the Amazon basin.
Where does the water come from for the Amazon river?
Mantaro RiverAmazon River / SourceThe Mantaro River is a long river running through the central region of Peru. Its Quechua name means "great river". The word "Mantaro" may be a word originally from the Asháninka language, who live downstream along the Ene River. Wikipedia
What type of water is in the Amazon?
Within the Amazon, there are three types of river: Blackwater, Whitewater and Clearwater.
What is the Amazon basin?
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 6,300,000 km 2 (2,400,000 sq mi), or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana ( France ), Guyana, Peru, ...
What are the countries in the Amazon basin?
Politically the basin is divided into the Peruvian Legal Amazonia, Brazilian Legal Amazônia, the Amazon region of Colombia and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador and the Venezuelan state of Amazonas .
How big are Amazonian fish?
The largest, the arapaima and piraiba can reach 3 m (9.8 ft) or more in length and up to 200 kg (440 lb) in weight, making them some of the largest strict freshwater fish in the world. The bull shark and common sawfish, which have been recorded far up the Amazon, may reach even greater sizes, but they are euryhaline and often seen in marine waters. In contrast to the giants, there are Amazonian fish from several families that are less than 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The smallest are likely the Leptophilypnion sleeper gobies, which do not surpass 1 cm (0.4 in) and are among the smallest fish in the world.
How many languages are spoken in the Amazon?
There are hundreds of native languages still spoken in the Amazon, most of which are spoken by only a handful of people, and thus are critically endangered .
What are the plants that live in the Amazon rainforest?
The ground remains dark and damp and only shade-tolerant vegetation will grow here. Orchids and bromeliads exploit trees and other plants to get closer to the sunlight. They grow hanging onto the branches or tree trunks with aerial roots, not as parasites but as epiphytes. Species of tropical trees native to the Amazon include Brazil nut, rubber tree and Assai palm.
How many species of birds live in the Amazon Basin?
About 1500 bird species inhabit the Amazon Basin. The biodiversity of the Amazon and the sheer number of diverse bird species is given by the number of different bird families that reside in these humid forests. An example of such would be the cotinga family, to which the Guianan cock-of-the-rock belong. Birds such as toucans, and hummingbirds are also found here. Macaws are famous for duck gathering by the hundreds along the clay cliffs of the Amazon River. In the western Amazon hundreds of macaws and other parrots descend to exposed river banks to consume clay on an almost daily basis, the exception being rainy days.
How many species of mammals are there in the Amazon?
More than 1,400 species of mammals are found in the Amazon, the majority of which are species of bats and rodents. Its larger mammals include the jaguar, ocelot, capybara, puma and South American tapir .
Why is the Amazon basin important?
Since the later decades of the 20th century, the Amazon basin has attracted international attention because human activities have increasingly threatened the equilibrium of the forest’s highly complex ecology. Deforestation has accelerated, especially south of the Amazon River and on the piedmont outwash of the Andes, as new highways and air transport facilities have opened the basin to a tidal wave of settlers, corporations, and researchers. Significant mineral discoveries have brought further influxes of population. The ecological consequences of such developments, potentially reaching well beyond the basin and even gaining worldwide importance, have attracted considerable scientific attention ( see Sidebar: Status of the World’s Tropical Forests ).
Why is the Amazon River famous?
The Amazon is well known for a number of reasons. It is the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its flow and the area of its basin. While there is some debate about its length, the river is generally believed to be at least 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long, which makes it the second longest river in the world after the Nile River in Africa. The Amazon is also famous for the rainforest found along its shores. The Amazon Rainforest represents about half of Earth’s remaining rainforest and is the world’s largest biological reservoir, home to more than a million species.
Where is the Amazon River located?
The Amazon River is located in the northern portion of South America, flowing from west to east. The river system originates in the Andes Mountains of Peru and travels through Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Brazil before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly two-thirds of the Amazon’s main stream is within Brazil.
How long is the Amazon River?
Most researchers believe that it is at least 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long. However, no definitive measure is available because no one is entirely sure where the Amazon ends and begins. Given the complexity of the river system, much of which is in remote areas, researchers have proposed several locations in Peru as its source. As to its end point, the Amazon has three outlets to the Atlantic Ocean: two on the northern side of Marajó Island in Brazil and one to the island’s south that joins the Pará River. Scientists have typically selected one of the northern outlets, since the Pará is an estuary of the Tocantins River, which is technically separate from the Amazon.
What is the Amazon rainforest?
The Amazon Rainforest represents about half of Earth’s remaining rainforest and is the world’s largest biological reservoir, home to more than a million species. Read more about the Amazon Rainforest.
Which is longer, the Nile or the Amazon?
Amazon River, Portuguese Rio Amazonas, Spanish Río Amazonas, also called Río Marañón and Rio Solimões, the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its flow and the area of its basin. The total length of the river—as measured from the headwaters of the Ucayali - Apurímac river system in southern Peru —is at least 4,000 miles (6,400 km), which makes it slightly shorter than the Nile River but still the equivalent of the distance from New York City to Rome. Its westernmost source is high in the Andes Mountains, within 100 miles (160 km) of the Pacific Ocean, and its mouth is in the Atlantic Ocean, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. However, both the length of the Amazon and its ultimate source have been subjects of debate since the mid-20th century, and there are those who claim that the Amazon is actually longer than the Nile. ( See below The length of the Amazon .)
What is the name of the area that is subject to flooding?
The extensive lowland areas bordering the main river and its tributaries, called várzeas (“floodplains”), are subject to annual flooding, with consequent soil enrichment; however, most of the vast basin consists of upland, well above the inundations and known as terra firme.
Where does the oil pipeline in Amazonia come from?
Oil pipelines originate from districts in both Colombia (the upper Putumayo) and Ecuador (Agrio Lake), as well as northeastern Peru, and end at export terminals on the Pacific coast.
Where is the hydroelectric power plant in Manaus?
A more modest hydroelectric facility on a small river north of Manaus supplies that city with power. A growing sensitivity to the harmful consequences for both human beings and the environment due to the construction of large dams has caused several ambitious projects to be placed on hold.
What is the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world?
The energy requirements of both the Carajás development and the city of Belém are met by the giant Tucuruí hydroelectric plant on the Tocantins River, one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in the world. A more modest hydroelectric facility on a small river north of Manaus supplies that city with power.
Overview
River commerce
The river is the principal path of transportation for people and produce in the regions, with transport ranging from balsa rafts and dugout canoes to hand built wooden river craft and modern steel hulled craft.
Geography
The Amazon River begins in the Andes Mountains at the west of the basin with its main tributary the Marañón River and Apurimac River in Peru. The highest point in the watershed of the Amazon is the second biggest peak of Yerupajá at 6,635 metres (21,768 ft).
With a length of about 6,400 km (4,000 mi) before it drains into the Atlantic Ocean, it is one of the two longest rivers in the world. A team of scientists has claimed that the Amazon is longer than …
Plant life
Plant growth is quite dense and its variety of animal inhabitants is comparatively high due to the heavy rainfall and the dense and extensive evergreen and coniferous forests. Little sunlight reaches the ground due to the dense roof canopy by plants. The ground remains dark and damp and only shade-tolerant vegetation will grow here. Orchids and bromeliads exploit trees a…
Wildlife
More than 1,400 species of mammals are found in the Amazon, the majority of which are species of bats and rodents. Its larger mammals include the jaguar, ocelot, capybara, puma and South American tapir.
About 1,500 bird species inhabit the Amazon basin. The biodiversity of the Amazon and the sheer number of diverse bird species is given by the number of different bird families that reside in the…
Climate and seasons
The Amazon River basin has a low-water season (known popularly as summer), and a wet season (known popularly as winter) during which, the rivers flood the adjacent, low-lying forests. The climate of the basin is generally hot and humid. In some areas, however, the summer months (June–September) can bring cold snaps, fueled by Antarctic winds traveling along the adjacent mountain range. The average annual temperature is around 25-degree and 28 degree Celsius wit…
Human lifestyle
Amazonia is sparsely populated. There are scattered settlements inland, but most of the population lives in a few larger cities on the banks of the Amazon and other major rivers, such as in Iquitos – Loreto in Peru, Manaus-Amazonas State, and Belém, Pará. In many regions, the forest has been cleared for soya bean plantations and ranching (the most extensive non-forest use of the land); …
Languages
The most widely spoken languages in the Amazon are Portuguese and Spanish. On the Brazilian side, Portuguese is spoken by at least 98% of the population, whilst in the Spanish-speaking countries, a large number of speakers of indigenous languages are present, though Spanish is predominant.
There are hundreds of native languages still spoken in the Amazon, most of which are spoken by …