The Amazon is the greatest river in the world, although not the longest. It has the greatest volume of water of any river, and also the __12__ drainage basin – the area where it flows. The streams that feed it start near the Pacific, in the icy heights of the Andes Mountains in Peru. They flow eastwards, across Brazil, joining into bigger and bigger rivers. Eventually, they all unite in the gigantic Amazon, which meets the Atlantic at the equator. Its total length is 6,437 kilometres and it flows through about one-third of South America.
Passengers on an ocean liner heading for the mouth of the Amazon might actually meet the river about 320 kilometres from the coast, because the great force of the Amazon sends its waters right out into the Atlantic. Seen from the air, these waters make a long, muddy stain in the sea.
(Children’s Britannica, vol. 1, 1973. Adaptado.)
De acordo com o texto, o Rio Amazonas