Purus River Facts
- The Purus River has drainage basin of more than 63,000 km squared.
- The river enters the Amazon river to the west of Madeira River.
- The Purus River forms a very small section of the boundary between Peru and Brazil.
- It is one of the most crooked rivers in the world. If you were to measure a straight line from its source to mouth, it would be less than half as long as the river’s actual length.
- Steamers are able to navigate the river for more than half of its length.
- The Purus red howler (a species of howler monkey) live in the forests along the banks of the Purus.
- Its mouth is more than 1000 metres wide.
- Many lakes are formed on the shores of the Purus River.
- The river used to be known as the Coxiuara River.
- The American composer Phillip Glass has produced a piece of music called Purus River.
- The Purus is known for its five river channels running parallel to each other at a regular distance.
- Throughout history many Amazonian tribes have lived in the Purus drainage basin area, including: the Apurina and Dani people, the Amahuaca, the Apurina, the Junikuni and the Sharanahua.
- Many rubber plantations are located on the banks of the Purus.
Purus River Fact File
Countries: Brazil, Peru
Length: Approximately 2960 km (1839 miles)
Mouth: Amazon River – it’s one of the Amazon’s tributaries.
What next? Discover more river facts by visiting our rivers resources page.
