River · Peru, Brazil
Purus
The Purus is a long river in the Amazon rainforest that starts in Peru and flows through Brazil. It twists and turns so much that it is one of the most winding rivers in the world.
Picture credit: Michael Kleiman (Public domain) · James Martins (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Purus?
The river starts here: Confluence of the Cujar and Curiuja rivers, Ucayali region, Peru.
It ends in the Amazon (Solimões), west of Manaus.
Countries on the river: Peru, Brazil.
The story behind it
The Purus begins in the Ucayali region of Peru, where two small rivers, the Cujar and the Curiuja, flow together. From there it wanders slowly through the rainforest towards the north-east. Its loops are so tight that the straight line from its start to its mouth is less than half as long as the river itself. Many old loops were cut off and have turned into lakes. Along the river, about 40 000 km² of land is flooded for part of the year. Pink Amazon river dolphins, grey tucuxi dolphins, manatees and giant otters live in its waters. In the Abufari reserve, more than 200 000 baby turtles hatch every year, including the rare arrau turtle. People also collect rubber in the forests along its banks. In 2008, researchers found giant geometric earthworks in the upper Purus region, made by people who lived here long before Europeans arrived.
Questions children ask
How long is the Purus?
The Purus is about 3 211 km long. Because it has so many loops, its length is hard to measure, and some sources give up to about 3 380 km.
Where does the Purus flow into?
It flows into the Amazon, which is called the Solimões in this stretch, about 150 km west of Manaus. At its mouth the Purus splits into many branches.
Can boats travel on the Purus?
Yes, boats can travel on most of the Purus and on many of the lakes along its banks. For about 1 300 km the river is never less than 14 metres deep.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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