The rivers They are streams of water that flow continuously, feeding a great variety of animals, both aquatic and terrestrial, as well as plants. They are of vital importance for forests, jungles and jungles, since without them living beings would have difficulties to move forward and survive.
In the world there are thousands of them, but Do you know which is the longest river in the world? Until 2008 it was not clear who was at the top of this interesting list.
What is the longest river in the world: the Nile or the Amazon?
In Africa we find the river Nilo, the most important in Africa and more specifically in Egypt, Tanzania, Sudan and Ethiopia, which is where its waters flow. It was the river that gave life to one of the most advanced civilizations of antiquity, that of ancient Egypt, and today it attracts many tourists and fans of the country's ancient history.
It empties into the Mediterranean Sea and has a length of 6756 km, which is awesome. In fact, until 2008 it was considered the longest river in the world, but ... is it really?
The Amazon, the longest river in the world
It is true that the Nile is a very important and very long river, but in America there is one that surpasses it: the Amazon. It has a length of 6992km236km more than the Nile. But why was there confusion?
Apparently, it was believed that the river originated in the north of Peru instead of the south, until a group of scientists went on an expedition to Peru. It is now known that he wears a fifth of all river water on the planet, which makes it not only the longest river, but also the largest in the world.
The Amazon is, without any doubt, the most important river in the world, not in vain, its volume of water reaches up to 300000 m3 / s, giving life to the largest jungle in the world, which is considered the lung of our planet.
At its widest point it can have up to 11 kilometers wide, and that in the dry season. In the wet season, the flooded area of the Amazon basin rises to 350.000 square kilometers.
It drains the entire northern half of the South American continent (approximately 40% by mass), including torrential rains. For this reason, always carry a huge amount of water. In fact, its mouth - which is in the Atlantic Ocean - is so wide and deep that deep-sea vessels have sailed inland only two-thirds of the length of the river.
Life on the Amazon River
Being so long and being on the equator, this is a river that feeds many animal and plant species, such as:
Animals
- Chick Spider (Theraphosidae): It measures between 5 and 7cm, and is black or brown. Its body is protected with hairs. It is not dangerous, but if a hair enters your mucous membranes you may suffer irritation.
- Angel of the seagymnosomata): it is a transparent sea slug, without a shell. When swimming it moves appendages similar to angel wings, which are what gives it its name.
- Electric eel (electrophorus electricus): it is so named because it can emit electric shocks of up to 600 volts when threatened or when hunting.
- Hummingbird (Trochilinae): It is a typical bird of the American rainforests. It is very small, so much so that it barely weighs 2 grams. It feeds on the nectar of flowers.
- Blue macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus): It is a precious bird that lives in family groups and that, once it chooses its mate, it maintains it for life. It feeds on fruits and seeds.
- Owl butterfly (caligo): it is one of the largest butterflies. The male weighs between 0,9 and 1,5kg and the female between 0,8 and 1kg. It feeds on grass, and can live between 3 and 2 months.
- Tetra (Tetra): It is a fish that is about 4,5cm long, red in color with an electric blue stripe from the head to the tail fin. It lives in groups, in murky waters where there is a lot of vegetation.
- Piracucu (Arapaima): it is the largest freshwater fish in the world. It can measure more than 3m long and weigh about 250kg. It feeds on other fish and other small animals by jumping out of the water.
Aquatic plants
Water fern (Azolla): It has oval leaves that are attached around the base. On the upper side of the leaves it has stiff hairs measuring 2,5cm. In its adult age, it measures about 2cm.
- Water hyacinth (Eichhornia): they can grow up to 90cm tall. Its leaves are dark green and circular in shape.
- Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes): it is covered with fine hairs on the top and bottom of the outside of the plant. Its leaves are about 4cm long and float on the surface of the river.
- Giant water lily (Eichhornia crassipes): lives in the shallow end of the river. Its leaves grow up to 90cm in diameter, with protective spines at the base of their pads to protect themselves from fish.
And with this we end. Did you know which was the longest river in the world?