Amazon River

The Amazon River was said to have acquired its name from the myth of Francisco de Orellana. It was reported that warriors, similar to the Amazons from the Greek myths, attacked him. Today Brazilians call the Amazon River Amazonas, because of its junction with the Rio Negro. Manaus, the main town in the central area of the Amazon, exists where the Rio Negro joins the Amazon. Another account as to the origin of the Amazon Rivers name might be from the word amassona, which means boat destroyer. The Amazon is 4,000 miles long.It starts in Peru, drops down the Andes, and flows through east Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest in volume and the second longest river in the world. Its width is up to seven miles. It sources in the Andes Mountains. The three main sections of the river are the Rio Negro, White Water, and Manaus. The Rio Negro name comes from its dark and acidic color. It is dark in color because of the Mangrove roots in the river. The people who originally lived by the banks called it the Rio Negro. It is an area free of silt. The white waters are the main course of the river caring away silt and organic matter. It is fed by the Andean tributaries. The natives called it white water. Manaus, where the white and black water meet, runs thirty miles before blending. There are 1,100 tributaries that are interconnected on the Amazon. The Rio Negro is the northern tributary.