Amazon River

The Amazon River is the longest and most important river in South America. Ships can cross almost the entire continent by sailing on it. The Amazon starts in Peru. It crosses Brazil and empties in to the Atlantic Ocean. The river is almost 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long. More than 200 other rivers flow into the Amazon.

The Amazon was first traveled by a Spanish explorer in 1541. Today the Amazon is still an important trade route. Ships sail up and down the river. They carry food, tools, and clothing to people who live along the river. The ships carry out different products from the forest, such as animal skins, Brazil nuts and lumber.

Fierce piranha fish and alligators live in the Amazon. Monkeys, parrots, and snakes called anacondas are found in the dense forest around the Amazon. In the rainy season, the river often overflows its banks. Then it floods the land around it. The natives call it the River Sea.

Much of the land near the Amazon is still unsettled. There are very few roads and modern cities along its banks. Indian tribes have been the only people to see some parts of the Amazon.