What is the significance of the Amazon river?

The Amazon River, being the world's second longest river and the one with the most discharge, has a massive drainage basin covering most of northern South America. It drains the vast Amazon Rainforest and creates unique flooded habitats along its banks. read more

The importance of the Amazon River is not defined solely by its size. It is the life-blood of an incredibly vast and diverse rain forest. This tropical rain forest is the largest in the world. It overlaps the boundaries of nine countries and the wildlife is so abundant that an estimated one-third of the world’s animal species can be found there. read more

Global importance of the Amazon River Basin © IRD / F. Sondag Aerial view of the Purús River, Brazil The Amazon River basin (ca. 6 million km2) is the largest in the world with mean discharge measured in the Amazon River at the outlet of ca. 206 000 m3 s-1 (Callède et al., 2010) and sediment yields estimated to 800-1200 Mt.yr-1 (Meade et al., 1985; Martinez et al., 2009). read more

The Amazon River, being the world’s second longest river and the one with the most discharge, has a massive drainage basin covering most of northern South America. It drains the vast Amazon Rainforest and creates unique flooded habitats along its banks. The Amazon is home to several unique species, including the pink river dolphin and piranhas. read more