During the rainy season, the Amazon River can swell to more than 120 miles (190 km) in width. The Amazon moves more water than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined, making it responsible for one-fifth of the world’s total river flow. Perhaps surprisingly, there are no bridges that span the river at any point. This is because the Amazon mostly winds through pristine rainforests, where there are very few roads. Most crossings are done by ferry. However, in 2010, the Rio Negro Bridge was completed over one of the Amazon’s tributaries. The 11,795-foot (3,595 m) span connects the Brazilian cities of Manaus and Iranduba.
The largest, not the longest:
- The Amazon River runs through Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Its length is approximately 4,000 miles (6,400 km).
- The Amazon originates in the Andes Mountains in Peru, on the western edge of South America. The river flows eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, near the Equator.
- The Amazon is the world’s largest river, but the title of world's longest river goes to the Nile River in Africa.
