Explored by the Spaniard Vicente Yanez Pinzon since 1500 and discovered by Francisco de Orellana in 1542, the Amazon River runs through the Andes Mountains flowing mightily across South America through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Is considered the longest river on earth with at least 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), carrying with it more water than any other river in the world and It is responsible for about one-fifth of all fresh water that flows into the world’s oceans.
The Amazon River has the largest area of land that flows into the river and more than 1,100 tributaries than any other river in the world. The rain forest land around the Amazon and these tributaries become flooded every wet season, between December and May, when the river rises more than 9 meters (30 feet).
No bridges cross the Amazon River. Instead, the Amazon River itself is the principle transport route for the Amazonian people that use handcrafted balsa rafts and dugout canoes and larger riverboats carry people and goods along the Amazon.
