What is the longest river in South America, flowing through the Amazon Basin?

The Amazon River is the longest river in South America, flowing through the Amazon Basin.

The river rises in the Andes of Peru and travels generally eastward before entering the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. Measurements vary depending on which headstream is counted, but the Amazon is universally recognized as the world’s largest river by discharge and drainage-basin area.

Its basin covers roughly 7 million square kilometres and extends across several countries, including Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Guyana. The river system contains thousands of tributaries, with the Madeira, Negro, and Japurá among the largest.

The Amazon’s enormous flow carries more freshwater into the ocean than any other river. It supports extraordinary biodiversity and helps regulate regional climate. The name comes from European accounts that compared Indigenous female warriors to the Amazons of Greek mythology.