The Amazon is a world-class river. It carries one-fifth of all the river water in the world. Only the Nile River in Africa is longer. But not by much.
The Amazon is as long as the distance from New York City to Rome, Italy! More water pours into the ocean from the Amazon than from any other river in the world. Over 6 million cubic feet of water every second. In fact, the Amazon dumps 10 times more water into the ocean than the mighty Mississippi. And the Mississippi is the largest river system in the United States. In many places, the Amazon is quite wide. As it nears the Atlantic coast, it widens from 20 to 60 miles across. Then to 200 across miles at the point where it goes into the sea.
There are many ways to travel down the Amazon. You can travel go by canoe or paddleboat. Or you can go by oceanliner part of the way. A side trip through the Amazon rain forest could be as terrific as a trip down the Amazon itself. Especially if you come across a 20-foot snake that can easily be mistaken for a clinging vine.
