Amazon RiverThe Amazon River in South America is the largest river in the world by discharge volume of water, and the second-longest or longest river system in the world, a title which is disputed with the Nile. For nearly a century, the headwaters of the Apurímac River on Nevado Mismi in Peru had been considered the Amazon basin's most distant source, until a 2014 study found the farthest source to be the headwaters of the Mantaro River on the Cordillera Rumi Cruz in Peru.
Drainage basinA drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the drainage divide, made up of a succession of elevated features, such as ridges and hills. A basin may consist of smaller basins that merge at river confluences, forming a hierarchical pattern.
BoliviaBolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. Its geography primarily consists of an Andean region to the west and tropical lowlands to the east and north.
PeruPeru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered to the north by Ecuador and Colombia, to the east by Brazil, to the southeast by Bolivia, to the south by Chile, and to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean.
South AmericaContinentScheme for geographical regions and subregions used by the United Nations Statistics DivisionSouth America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and most in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas.
EcuadorEcuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contains the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (540 nmi; 620 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital is Quito, and the largest city is Guayaquil.
BrazilBrazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 214 million people. Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states and a Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro.
VenezuelaVenezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and various islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of 912,050 km (352,140 sq mi), with a population estimated at 31.8 million in 2025. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is Caracas.
GuyanaGuyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Suriname to the east, Brazil to the south and southwest, and Venezuela to the west. It is part of the Guianas. The capital and largest city is Georgetown.
TributaryA tributary, or an affluent, is a stream that typically flows into a larger stream (main stem or parent) or lake, or rarely into a smaller stream, e.g., the Esla tributary to the Douro. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem into which they flow drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean, another stream, or into an endorheic basin.
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country located in South America, with insular regions in North America. Colombia's mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest. Colombia is divided into 32 departments.
SurinameCountry in South AmericaSuriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country on the northern coast of South America, also considered part of the Caribbean region. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforest, the second-highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Guyana to the west.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.