Amazon River Regime Flashcards
What is the length and direction of the Amazon River, and through how many countries does it flow?
Length: 4000 miles
Direction: East to west of South America
Countries: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil
Where is the majority of the Amazon River located?
Two-thirds of the Amazon is located in Brazil.
What is the primary source of water for the Amazon River?
Glacial melt from the Peruvian Andes
What are the average temperatures and relative humidity levels in the dry and rainy seasons?
Dry Season: Average temperature is 27.9°C, relative humidity is 77%.
Wet Season: Average temperature is 25.8°C, relative humidity is 88%.
What is the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest?
Species: Over 1000 bird species, 60,000 plant species, with a new species discovered every 3 days.
Trees: 390 billion trees.
How many people live along the banks of the Amazon, and how many indigenous groups inhabit the rainforest?
People: 20 million live along the banks.
Indigenous Groups: 350 indigenous groups.
What is the annual rainfall across the Amazon, and how much sediment does it transport annually?
Rainfall: 2300mm
Sediment Transport: 600-800 million tonnes annually.
What are the main factors contributing to deforestation in the Amazon?
Cattle ranching, commercial agriculture for biofuels and soya beans, urbanisation, and logging.
What percentage of the total flows from rivers to oceans does the Amazon River contribute?
20%
Describe the flow rate and width of the Amazon River during peak flooding and the dry season.
Peak Flooding: Flow rate is 48 Olympic swimming pools per second.
Dry Season: Width is 4km, and during the wet season, it expands to 50km.
What is the quality of the soil in the Amazon region?
Thin and poor in nutrients.
