Amazon River
Rio where the facts are as daunting as the legends, the Amazon fertilizes a region of almost six million square kilometers, equivalent to more than half of Europe: the Amazon is the "lungs of the world", its main artery is the river Amazons.
There is still controversy about its source, which gives large variations to the full extent. The hypothesis currently presents more accepted as first moves of its training courses d'Andean water (and Peruvian) Apurimac-Ucayali. Based on this, the World Aeronautical Chart gave the Amazons, then the mouth, the length of 6.571km, slightly smaller than the Nile, consecrated around 6.670km. Another version locates the hatcher in one the most southeast point and think 7.025km course. Anyway, it is difficult to safely say the length of the Amazon.
Uncharacteristic in its beginnings, the river begins to assume his identity near Iquitos, Peru, where the Ucayali and Marañón, the two great alternative arms. It is when it takes its final west to east, running almost always less than 5 south latitude. Its slope is minimal, advancing serenely by the wider floodplain of the planet. Benjamin Constant, on the border between the state of Amazonas and Peru, to the island of Marajó, Amazon only falls 65m in three thousand kilometers (every kilometer, is 20mm average gradient).
The average course of the Amazon depends on taking the Marañón and Ucayali the main trainer. In the first case starts in Pongo Manseriche, the second in Contamana, both small towns in Peru. Then it goes to Obidos, a thousand kilometers from the mouth, which is already noticeable effects of the tides. In addition to Peru, marked almost from end to end by the two winding strands of the first part of the river, northern Brazil (Amazonas states and Pará) is the immense territory where the river expands, forming the Earth's largest river basin (5,846 .100km2), which still reaches parts of Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Guyana. In addition to the names it receives in Peru, inside the Brazil, the Amazon is known by another name, Solimões, more or less between Benjamin Constant and Manaus.
Discharge, or flow volume of water is also by far the largest known. In 1963, the United States Geological Survey, associated with the University of Brazil and the Navy, measured the flow in Obidos: 216.342m3 per second, twelve times that of Mississippi, more than twenty times the Nile. It is worth noting that after Obidos, the Amazon receives the waters of the Tapajos and Xingu, on the right bank, the Maicuru, Paru and Jari, on the left bank.
They are also curious aspects speed records, width and navigability. The average speed in the middle and lower courses, is 2.5km per hour, but in Obidos, where the river has its narrowest passage in Brazil (2.600m), the speed reaches eight kilometers per hour. The width is another difficult calculation steps, because many of the islands that are formed in the bed, resulting in a breakdown of the water in several arms or "paranás". No islands in between one of admittedly wider sections is about twenty kilometers before the mouth of the Xingu and measures 13km. But in full seasons, many passages beyond fifty kilometers wide. Everything there is too variable and dynamic. In height, between the maximum level of flooding (June) and lowest ebb (October-November), the oscillation is 10,5m.
The Amazon is a generously navigable river. In 3.700km ranging from mouth to the city of Iquitos, its depth (sometimes more than fifty meters) allows you to receive high-sea vessels. Many of its tributaries are also navigable, so that the water transport is one of the easiest of the region and remains under-exploited at all levels: the quantity, quality, technological resources used for this purpose. Well planned, is the ideal means with regard to the protection of nature.
Among the tributaries of the Amazon there are many huge rivers. Madeira is one of the twenty largest in the world; Purus, Tocantins and Juruá are among the top thirty. Across the network of these tributaries in Brazil, stand, on the right bank, the Javari, Juruá, Purus, Madeira, Tapajós and Xingu; the left bank, Içá, Japurá, Negro, Trombetas, Paru and Jari.
The estuary of the Amazon River has two parts, at least: the North Channel, wider, and the South, also known by the Pará river names and Marajó Bay. From one to another side of the two channels the distance is about 150km. If you consider the estuary to the east coast of the island of Marajó, the measure twice, turning around 300km. In fact there are more runners to the exit of the river. These are called hole Breves, a series of natural channels southwest of the island of Marajó, where the waters are distributed, filtered, like many and careful preparations to enter the ocean. Forward arise the islands: in addition to Marajó the Great Gurupá the Caviana the Mexiana the Janaucu, the Burnt etc.
The Amazon still has several very curious phenomena. In the lower course, the most famous is the so-called tidal bore, violent encounter of the river to the sea, with a crash that is heard kilometers away. The waves rise abruptly and then descend in succession on the beaches, making navigation dangerous. It happens mostly in October when the conditions of the river and the sea, low and high tide waters are favorable.
Something similar occurs in the vicinity of Manaus, where the Negro and Amazon rivers meet: Although not give explosive fight the bore, the two cost much to mix, and its colors are quite different, one can see the difficulty that the Black empties, seeping slowly in the Amazon. Freshwater tides are also intriguing. They occur in many rivers end at the same Amazon estuary, and twice per day, given the variation in the sea level.
Well known, and sometimes frightening, is the phenomenon of fallen lands, evident consequence of formidable strength and predominance of water throughout the Amazon margins are undermined and suddenly out of the earth a new island taken by the river, often with their animals or locals, a part of the cattle or facilities and homes. More recent is the research on the colors of the Amazon rivers: there are rivers "white" or yellow, orange, strong dark brown, green, black, transparent. The explanation lies in the chemical compounds (organic and inorganic) that prevail in the places where they spend. The Amazon, in general, is the "white" of course muddy, at least in its journey across the plain.
Its waters dye the ocean up to about 200km of coast, reducing salinity. So the Spaniard Vicente Pinzón, who in 1500 would have reached the mouth, named Dulce Sea. In 1542 Francisco Orellana down the river from Peru. Either because of an attack of long-haired Indians, either by adding to your costume travelogue of warrior women, he referred to the river as the Amazon, staying this name forever.
Souce: www.megatimes.com.br
