Amazon River tour

Amazon River, Rio Amazonas - Worlds largest river! Try this extensive tour of more than 6400 kilometers (3977 miles) with more than 500 placemarks (an average of more than one placemark every 13 kilometers, 8 miles) taking you on a flight over the landscape in Peru and Brazil from the Amazon River spring as a glacial stream on a snowcapped 5597 meter (18363 feet) peak called Nevado Mismi in the Peruvian Andes to the estuary, mouth of the river, surrounding the Marajó island, some 330 kilometres (207 miles) wide. Every second the Amazon River pours 219000 cubic meters (57 million gallons, 88 Olympic-size swimming pools, 876 million cups :-) of water into the Atlantic ocean! An amount larger than all other major top 10 rivers combined!! And about one-fifth (twenty percent) of the all fresh water that flows into the world's oceans. During dry season, the river is "only" up to 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide. During the rainy season, the Amazon Basin becomes flooded and the river becomes up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide. The Amazon River is the worlds biggest river!



The spring of the Amazon River is the glaciers of the Nevado Mismi mountain in the Peruvian Andes. It flow into the Carhuasanta stream, which flow into the Río Apurímac. Flowing through steep valleys in the high Andes it changes first to the Ene River, then to the Tambo River. Entering the vast flood plains east of the Andes mountains it's named the Ucayali River which later joins the Marañón River to form the Rio Amazonas. From the triple border between Peru, Colombia and Brazil the river is named Solimões River until it reached the Negro River at Manaus. From here it's the Amazon River till it reaches the vast estuary at the Atlantic ocean.

About the Google Earth "Amazon River tour": Although I never (yet) have been in South America, the Amazonas has always been a source of facination for it's wildlife, rivers and wastness. I may come to Amazonas some day but on a winter day in january 2008 I concluded that I'll most likely NEVER (guess not many) will travel the more than 6400 kilometers from the spring to the mouth of the river. So I decided I would use Google Earth to give myself (and you, maybe) a guided tour. Also a series of overlays are included. Enable an overlay to see a specific map or information on and around the Amazon river. The 'Overlays' folder offers a series of image overlays containing various information on the Amazon river and the surrounding Amazonas rain forest. Have a nice tour! Tour creator: Tom Kjeldsen, created january 2008. Recommended to be viewed as a 'Play tour' in Google Earth with terrain feature enabled.


Download a identical copy of the attached file below from here (suitable for non Google Earth Community members)


This post is a re-post of this original 2008-01-05 Google Earth Community post

Attachments:

Amazon-River-tour.kmz (2.19 MB)

Good to see this again, Tom. I was reminded of a book I read many years ago, Running the Amazon, in which a small rafting team was the first to make its way down the entire length of the river.  What I remember most about it is the many terrifying rapids along the Peruvian portion and they are clearly visible in Google Earth.

Hi Diane

Thanks, I also, may I say, had a fine glance back on this one, this incredible Amazon River. I remember after making this tour/collection, spending a 'few' hours locating the basics and then more details, back in 2008, that this one was and is very big! and found that I most likely never in any future would cover a feature close to ground of this magnitude. Most likely anytime, even how much the collection is evolved and detailed, this tour and collection will always be only a overall sketch and a intro (for you all to look further) into the flow of this so big river taking water from the biggest rainforest in the world.
Not that this file may contribute in any way to preserve some nature surrounding the Amazon River, still I do hope that it, as one of many, could put enough focus on considering maintaining this incredible ecosystem, in conjunction with the sustainable development of some of the adjacent areas. Well, just as it should be done wherever you/we all live...

PS. Thanks for mention the "Running the Amazon" book, I missed that one and I'll sure go back and have a read. A few year ago I saw, as i remember, a Discovery Channel documentary, which I think also it the book "Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time". The documentary was kind of impressive, walking high mountains and deep valleys, then through hundreds of kilometers of water and rainforest. I think the book could be a good bet as a good read. Personally I'll give it a chance in a near future :-)

/Tom

Iquitos Amazon Tour 3 Days is a short and ideal jungle adventure in the Iquitos Peru Amazon Rainforest. We have designed this trip to give you an insight into Peruvian Amazon Culture and wildlife while enjoying our exclusive Amazon Lodge.