The Amazon River has the largest drainage basin in the world, with over 1,000 tributaries flowing into it. It is the second longest river in the world, being 3,250 miles long. Its source is in Lago Villafro in the Andes Mountains, Peru and it flows eastwards to its mouth in Brazil where it enters the Atlantic Ocean.
Its width varies between 1.5 and 10 km, but during the wet season it can become several times wider than this.
The river is the main route of traffic in northern Brazil. Most cities are on the banks of the river, the biggest city being Manaus which is home to over 1.7 million people
Animals that live in the river include:
The main environmental issue affecting the River Amazon is deforestation because this removes the trees whose roots help to bind the soil together, making it easier for soil to erode into the river, deposit onto its bed and then cause it to flood.
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