The Amazon River, Brazil

Wonder in Peru, Brazil

Wonder: The Amazon River
Country: Peru
Region: Iquitos
Visitable: Yes
About:
The Amazon River is the largest river of the world. Besides, the Amazon River basin supports also the most important biodiversity ecosystem of the world.

The Amazon
River is the largest river of the world and its basin is also the largest drainage basin of the planet; since, it covers an area of 6 475 000 square kilometers (2500 000 square miles) in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. The Amazon is so large that its estuary is about 330 Kilometers (210 miles) wide, being its average wide from Iquitos in Peru, around 8 Kilometers wide. During long time, the Amazon was considered the second longest river of the world after the Nile; but, recently, the discovery of a new tributary of the Amazon in Peru has caused that many scientists consider currently the Amazon the longest river of the World.

According to a Brazilian scientist, using the Mismi mountain in the region of Arequipa at south of Peru as the origin of the Amazon, the river is the longest river of the world; since, it is around 105 kilometers (65 miles) longer than the Nile River. But this study is not accepted by all the scientific community; since, different geographers have measured the length of the river between 5499 and 6690 kilometers. However, the river officially takes the name of Amazonas from the confluence of the rivers Ucayali and Marañon in the town of Nauta, near Iquitos city in the Peruvian region of Loreto.

The Amazon River releases a really impressive quantity of water into the Atlantic Ocean, around 300 000 cubic meters per second. Because of this flood, the Amazon is the source of the 20% of the total volume of fresh water of the planet’s Oceans. The river starts to rise on November and increases its volume until June when it begins to decrease, reaching its minimum level in October. The river reaches its maximum depth in the zone of Obidos in Brazil, where its depth is about 300 meters. Some of the most important tributaries of the Amazon are the rivers: Marañon, Ucayali, Branco, Pastaza, Madeira, Napo, Negro, Putumayo, Morona, Tambo, Tigre, Xingu,etc.

The Amazon River basin supports also the most important biodiversity ecosystem of the world, the Amazonian Rain Forest, which is the home of around 70% of all known plant and animal species of the planet, including 300 species of mammals, 1700 species of birds, 3000 species of freshwater fish and trees as well as million of insects, including 4000 species of butterflies. It highlights species such as the jaguars, macaws, piranhas, toucans, anacondas, turtles, snakes, alligators and many more.

HISTORY
The Amazon’s basin was inhabited by native tribes since many centuries ago. Nevertheless, Europeans discovered the river in the XVI century, when Vicente Yañez Pinzón sailed by the river in 1500, he entered in the river through its mouth. Yañez Pinzón called the river “Rio Santa Maria de la Mar Dulce”.

Amazon River at Iquitos, Peru

In 1541 Francisco de Orellana, one of the lieutenants of Gonzalo Pizarro led an expedition to find the mythical Dorado. The expedition explored the Coca River and its mission was to find the end of this river. When the expedition arrived to the confluence to the Napo River, several members of the expedition threatened to mutiny. Nevertheless, Orellana persuaded his people to continue the expedition and conquer new territories on behalf of the King. They constructed a small ship and navigated by the Napo River, reaching the Negro River. Finally in June 1542, they reached the Amazon River. The expedition of Orellana was attacked several times by female warriors like the Amazons of the Greek mythology, therefore, Orellana decided to denominate the river as Amazon River.

During the colonial time the river was used mainly as transport means both by Spaniards (Peru) and by Portuguese (Brazil). In 1850 the Emperor Peter II of Portugal created a law authorizing the steam navigation on the Amazon and entrusted the Baron of Mauá with the task to put the law in effect. Then the Baron organized the “Shipping and Trade Company of the Amazon”. Because of the success of this company; several other companies decided to exploit the economic opportunities that offered the Amazon.

In 1867 because of the pressure Peru, Brazil declared the opening of the Amazon to all flags with certain limits in some zones. Between 1880 and 1920 the Amazon River was the main route to transport the rubber of Peru and Brazil. Thanks to the trade of rubber, several important cities developed on the banks of the Amazon, such as Manaos in Brazil or Iquitos in Perú, this last reached a spectacular economic development. Iquitos was considered the St Louis of the Amazon. Nevertheless, the boom of rubber lasted only some decades and by 1920 almost all Iquitos’s rubber industry was abandoned.

During the XX century the rain forest around the Amazon River was exploited indiscriminately. Vast areas of tropical forest were cut down to use them as areas for agriculture and animal husbandry. Besides, many new human settlements were established along the river, generating pollution in the Amazon Basin. Besides, the Climate Change is causing also the decreasing of the waters of the river. According to the Peruvian Navy’s Hydrographic, the river reached its second lowest level in September 2005. Specialists fear that low water problems will only worsen in next years as more forest is cleared, glaciers in the Andes continue to retreat and the Amazon continues to dry because of climate shifts.

Currently the Amazon River basin is the main source of oxygen of the world and one of the most important patrimonies of the humanity. But, if the humanity don’t focus its efforts to protect this World Heritage; then it will become a great desert and the consequences of this natural destruction will be disasters for the rest of the world. It is responsibility of the entire humanity try to stop the destruction of the Amazon Basin, which is probably the most important natural wonder of Peru, South America and the World.

Video The Amazone River

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