The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by the amount of water it carries. It flows about 4,000 miles across South America, mostly through Brazil. That is long enough to stretch across the entire United States! The river starts high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Amazon flows through the biggest rainforest on Earth. More kinds of fish live in the Amazon than in any other river. Pink river dolphins swim in its waters, and piranhas live there too. Giant river otters that grow six feet long hunt for fish along the banks.
- The Amazon is so wide in some places that you cannot see the other side!
- Millions of people depend on the river for drinking water, fishing, and travel by boat.
- The Amazon pushes so much water into the ocean that you can find fresh water more than 100 miles out to sea.
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