The Amazon River is located in the tropics and has no ice year-round. In addition, the huge amount of water is suitable for ships to sail. It is navigable all year round.

The Amazon River is 6,500 kilometers long and has a drainage area of ​​7.05 million square kilometers. The annual average flow at the estuary is 120,000 cubic meters per second. It is the largest river in South America and the second longest river in the world after the Nile River in Africa. However, it is the river with the largest amount of water and the largest drainage area in the world. The upper sources of the Amazon River, the Ucayali River and the Marañon River, originate in the Andes Mountains in Peru. The main stream runs across western Brazil and flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Marajo Island. The Amazon River basin is vast, with a latitude span of 25°, including most of Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and part of Bolivia.

In Peru, people call the river from Iquitos to the estuary the Amazon River; while in Brazil, people call the section from Iquitos to the Negro River estuary the Solimoes River, and the section below the Negro River estuary the Amazon River. The Amazon River has many tributaries, with nearly a thousand tributaries from the Guiana Plateau, the Brazilian Plateau and the Andes Mountains. The main tributaries are the Yapra River, the Jurua River, the Madeira River, the Xingu River, etc., all of which are more than 1,600 kilometers long, of which the Madeira River is the longest, reaching 3,219 kilometers.

The Amazon River is located in the world's largest and most famous tropical rainforest area, with abundant rainfall. From the western plains to the vast area of ​​the estuary, the annual average rainfall is more than 2,000 mm, and the river water is abundant all year round. The flow at the estuary during the flood season can reach 200,000 cubic meters per second. The amount of water that the Amazon River pours into the Atlantic Ocean each year accounts for about 20% of the total amount of water that flows into the sea from rivers around the world.

The Amazon River is large, wide and deep. The depth of the river in Brazil is mostly over 45 meters. It is 100 meters deep near Manaus, 29 to 80 kilometers wide in the lower reaches, and the trumpet-shaped estuary is 240 kilometers wide. Such a wide and deep water surface makes the Amazon River the world's most famous golden waterway with great shipping value.

A 7,000-ton ocean-going ship can go up 1,600 kilometers directly to Manaus; a ship with a draft of 6 to 7 meters can go directly from the estuary to Iquitos, Peru, with a sailing distance of 3,700 kilometers; the navigable mileage of the entire river is more than 5,000 kilometers throughout the year.

Most of the Amazon River basin is covered with tropical rainforests, with a wide variety of animals and plants, and is the area with the richest biodiversity. Hardwood, palm, natural rubber forests, etc. in the tropical rainforest have great economic value, but concurrent utilization should be scientific and moderate. The Amazon River is deep and wide, with many tributaries, large swamps and numerous oxbow lakes, forming a vast freshwater sea area, which is home to a large number of fish and numerous rare creatures, including the world's largest edible freshwater fish - the pirarucu, freshwater dolphins, manatees, crocodiles, giant water snakes and other aquatic creatures and a large number of rare birds and animals.