The Amazon River PDF

# The Amazon River ## Unit focus: Rivers ## Text focus: Information Text ## Stage 4 The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world. It is roughly 4,000 miles long. This is only slightly shorter than the Nile River. This length still means that if it started in New York, it would reach a...

# The Amazon River ## Unit focus: Rivers ## Text focus: Information Text ## Stage 4 The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world. It is roughly 4,000 miles long. This is only slightly shorter than the Nile River. This length still means that if it started in New York, it would reach all the way to Rome. There are some people who dispute the start and end point of the Amazon River. They believe that it is actually a little bit longer than the Nile. The Amazon is much wider than the Nile. This means that it definitely has the largest volume of water of any river in the world. The official start of the Amazon River is the Ucayali-Apurímac river system in southern Peru. It flows east before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. On its journey across South America, the main river passes through Peru, Colombia and Brazil. The tributaries (smaller rivers that feed into the Amazon) reach as far as Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia. About two-thirds of the Amazon River is in Brazil. Most of it is surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon River is filled with diverse life, much like the rainforest that lies on its shores. It's almost impossible to separate it from the rainforest because so many of the plants and animals rely on both habitats. It has been estimated that most of the things that live there are still unidentified by science. Whilst that's incredibly exciting, it's also concerning that they may become extinct before we even know they are there. Birds, monkey and insects all rely on the river for food. Roughly 2,500 species of fish have been identified living in the Amazon river system so far. Scientists think that there may be just as many species that they haven't found yet. The numbers are even higher for insects. Over 8,000 species of insects have been found. The actual number will be much higher as many of them are just too small or well-hidden to catch. Many of the fish that live in the Amazon River are migratory. This means that they travel great distances to lay their eggs. The fish in the river are the main source of protein for the native caboclo people. They live in the rainforest. One of the most famous fish in the river is the piranha. Piranhas normally feed on other fish and are usually too frightened to attack humans. However, if food is scarce, or they feel threatened, their razor-sharp teeth are capable of tearing human skin. Unfortunately, many of the fish species are threatened. Lots of them are taken and frozen for food around the world. Others are sold into the pet trade. Many of the most popular aquarium fish originate in the Amazon river system. As well as fish, the river is home to alligators, river turtles and the giant sea cow known as a manatee. All three of these are threatened by hunters. The image shows a close-up image of the head of an alligator with its mouth open. The alligator's teeth are visible. There are a few flies flying over the alligator's head.