Purus River: Facts and Information

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.

Purus River

  • 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.

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