> The Amazon River flows into which body of water?And the answer: Atlantic Ocean. Photo credit: pisacinn.com[https://pisacinn.com/the-amazon-river-in-peru-and-how-it-became-part-of-one-of-the-7-wonders-of-the-world/].As one of the longest rivers in the world, the Amazon begins high in the AndesMountains and stretches for more than 4,000 miles through the Brazilianrainforest until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Its streams and tributariescontain the largest number of freshwater fish species in the world.The Amazon River is the largest freshwater river in the world. Containing 20% ofthe world's freshwater, the Amazon spreads across the entire northern portion ofSouth America. In fact, the Amazon's drainage basin – a.k.a. the area in whichprecipitation is collecting into the Amazon's tributaries – covers an arearoughly equal to the size of the continental United States. Where the rivermeets the Atlantic, roughly 209 million liters are expelled every second.Interestingly, there are no dams along the river, despite the potential forhydroelectric power. This is due to the fact that a dam would have a severeecological impact.The Amazon and its tributaries have occupied historic and cultural sites ofsignificance for millennia. Before the Spanish discovered South America,indigenous populations settled regions around the river and depended on its lushwildlife for survival. In fact, tribal societies have been calling the regionhome since around 5000 BCE. Scientists believe that these societies used thepower of the river to conduct selective breeding of crops, plant fertilizationand trade. Today, the banks of the Amazon give a home to roughly 30 million people, fromover 350 different ethnic groups. 10% of this population is indigenous to theland, though that number faces challenges from encroachment and modernization. Learn more about the wonders of this magnificent river below.