Facts

Continent South America

Countries it flows through Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador,
Bolivia
Length 6275 kilometres
Number of tributaries Over 200
Source Lago Villafro in the Andes Mountains,
Peru
Mouth Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean (delta)

Location

The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It begins as hundreds
of tiny little streams high in the Andes Mountains. It flows into two main
rivers, the Ucayali and the Maranon. It then flows east towards its delta in
Brazil by the Atlantic Ocean. It is joined by over two hundred tributaries
which flow into the main river.

The Amazon drainage basin is made up of tributaries, rainforest and the river
itself. More than 200 tributaries are in Brazil. The largest tributaries are over
1600 kilometres in length.

The Amazon carries more water than any of the world's rivers. Each second,
between 34 and 121 million litres of water are carried into the Atlantic
Ocean. This is because rain falls on more than 200 days every year. Between
2000 and 3000 milimetres falls every year.

The Amazon deposits more than 3 million tons of sediment in its delta,
which is over 300 kilometres wide. The brown sediment extends as a brown
stain 300 kilometres into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon river also has an
estuary.