Which river carries the greatest volume of water into the world’s oceans?

The Amazon River carries more water to the ocean than any other river on Earth.

Its average discharge into the Atlantic is roughly 209,000 cubic metres per second, although the amount changes substantially with seasonal rainfall. The river drains the Amazon Basin, a vast area covering parts of several South American countries, with Brazil containing most of the basin.

The Amazon is often discussed alongside the Nile because the two rivers compete in debates about which is longest. Length estimates depend on how a river’s source and mouth are defined, but the Amazon’s discharge is not in doubt: it is by far the largest by water volume.

The river and its tributaries support the Amazon rainforest, one of the planet’s richest ecosystems. The main river enters the Atlantic through a broad estuary system, where freshwater strongly influences coastal waters.