Amazon+River

=The Amazon River=

The Amazon River stretches across South America for over 4,000 miles, passing through six countries before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. This river is no small deal, it is the second longest river, next to the Nile River, in the world. It's hard to believe that the river's main source comes from run-off from the countries it flows through and small streams in the Andes Mountains. The Amazon River has a discharge of 7.381 million cubic feet per second into the Atlantic Ocean. For a comparison, the Kankakee River only has a discharge of 4,823 cubic feet per second. That's still a large number, but compared to the Amazon, it's microscopic.

The Amazon River is an amazing sight, not just because of the size, but also because of the endangered species that live in and around the river. One of the well known species is the Amazon River Dolphin, also known as the Pink Dolphin. A less commonly known endangered species that lives off of the river is the Giant Otter. The main cause of the Giant Otter being endangered is habitat degradation, which is when the species habitat doesn't produce enough of what it needs to live.

The Amazon River was given it's name when the first European to explore the river, Francisco de Orellana, witnessed fights between tribal women. They reminded him of the women warriors in Greek mythology known as the Amazons. Even though the name //Amazon// was meant to refer to the whole river, some Peruvian and Brazilian cultures only call sections of the river //The Amazon.//

By: Brianne Phillips