January 26: Discovery of the Amazon River

On this date in 1500 the Amazon River was first discovered by Europeans. Here are 10 things you didn't know about the online bookstore's namesake.

1. The Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge of water in the world with a discharge of 209,000 m³/s or 7,831,000 cubic feet. This is more than the total discharge of the next 7 largest rivers added together.
2. During the wet season, the Amazon River can reach over 190 kilometres (120 miles) in width.
3. It is between 6,259 and 6,992 kilometres (3,889 and 4,345 mi) long. Measuring rivers isn't straightforward and different geographers have come up with different figures over the years. Whether it is the longest river in the world is a matter for debate. It has generally been accepted that the Nile is longer. The Nile, however, is reported to be anywhere from 5,499 to 6,690 kilometres (3,417 to 4,157 mi), so there's not much in it.
4. 20% of the fresh water that enters the seas anywhere in the world comes from the Amazon. There's so much of it that it dilutes the salinity of the sea and changes the colour of the sea for 1,000,000 square miles.
5. The source of the Amazon River is Lago Villafro in the Andes Mountains, Peru.
6. On its way to the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon passes through Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. The largest city it passes is Manaus.
7. Most of the river runs through rainforests, so there are no bridges over it.
8. The Amazon is home to a huge amount of wildlife. There are over 3,000 species of fish, including the piranha, and more being discovered all the time. Anacondas live in the shallows, and you could also find Manatees, Dolphins, electric eels, Otters and Turtles.
9. Vicente Yanez Pinzon was the first European to sail into the river in 1500. The first European to travel the length of the Amazon River was Francisco de Orellana in 1542.
10. It has over 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are over 1,500 kilometres long. 

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