Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin has a tertiary-quaternary formation and it´s the largest in the world, drainning about ¼ of the South America area, flowing about 1/5 of all the fresh water of the planet.

Due to the huge area it drains (about 6.217.220 km2), we find in it the largest fluvial-archipelago in the world, Mariuá, in the Negro River, by the city of Barcelos, having more than 700 islands; the largest collection of rivers in the planet, about 1.700 rivers, more than in the whole Europe; the largest flooded biological reserve in the planet (Mamirauá); The largest fluvial-sea island (Ilha de Marajó), in the mouth of the Amazon River, with more than 50.000 km2; the largest and longest river in the world (Amazon River).

The Amazon Basin comunicates to other 2 basins: The Orinico to the north, in Venezuela, through the Cassiquiare Canal, and the Platina Basin to the south.

Amazon River (Solimões)
The main axis of the Amazon Basin, was discovered in January, 1500, in it´s mouth by the Spanish Vicente Pison, who named it “Mar Dulce” (fresh water sea), and by Francisco Orellana, who covered it from west to east, in 1541, naming it after the probable warrior women found in the mouth of the Nhamundá river. It has the greatest known outflow, pouring in the sea about 200.000 to 240.000 m3/s of water.

It´s so much water that the Amazon River is able to provide in 28 seconds one liter of water to each of the 6 millions of inhabitants of the planet. This River casts it´s water in the Atlantic Ocean so strongly that the waters reach up to 150 km away from the coast.

Every year this colossal river increases 1 km of the litoral of the Guyanas and of Brasil. It´s such a huge amount of sediments the Amazon River drags and lays in the Atlantic Ocean, that if all this sediment were gathered together during one year, there would be a mountain higher than the “Pão de Açúcar” (Suggarloaf Mountain). The Guiness Book mentions it as the longest in the world, measuring about 6.750 km long since 1994.

Juruá River
It´s a tributary of the Solimoes River, in it´s right side. It starts in the Contamana Mountain Range (wich divides it´s water from the Ucayaly Basin´s), in a place named “Cerro das Mercês”, in Peru. It´s 3.350 km long and it´s estuary is placed by Tamanicoá Village, about 450 miles away from Manaus. It´s the most winding river of the right side of the Solimoes River.

Purus River
It starts in Peru, about 500 meters hight. It´s main tributaries are the Curinja and the Cujar streams. When these 2 streams come together, this new river is named Purus. It´s a trributary of the Solimões River in it´s right side, having a very winding, bendy and smooth course.

Purus River
It´s considered the most important tributary of the right sided of the Amazon River. It´s own tributaries come frfom the Andes and from the Andes Plateau (“Beni” and “Madre de Dios” River) and the Central Plateau (Guaporé River, one of the main tributaries of the Madeira River).

Negro River
When Negro River starts, on the Tunaí Mountain Range, on the Colombia Plateau, about 1.660 meters hight, it´s called Guaína River. It´s total length is about 1.700 km. It comes into Brazil through Cucuí, Brazilian frontier with Colombia and Venezuela, where it´s named Negro River. It flows into the Amazon River in front of Manaus. It´s depth allows a smooth navigation. Negro River is the most important black watered river in the Brazilian Fluvial Basin Network. It´s bottom is made of mud, sand and rocks.