The Amazon

The Amazon is no ordinary river. It holds more water than the Nile, Yangtze and Mississippi put together, and is so wide that no bridges cross it.

Its drainage basin - a giant saucer rimmed by the Andes Mountains - is ten times the size of Texas, and sucks water from one third of South America.

We follow the Amazon River from the high peaks of the Andes in Peru to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, thousands of kilometres to the east.

We pass through ancient mountain civilizations and tropical rainforests, and see unique plants and animals.

The Amazon is one of the most varied and fascinating places on Earth.

The river is divided into five sections and each section begins with a map showing the area that will be covered.

Map references are highlighted within the text to show the reader where they are on their journey.

The text has been written in themes - economic, social, nature, people and history - to enable the reader to study particular aspects of the river along its course.