When you think of the biggest river in the world, the Amazon is certainly the one that comes to mind. But biggest is not a very specific term and while the Amazon undoubtedly has the largest flow by volume, the geographical community has been split over whether it is also the longest.
1. A matter of definition
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Nile is 6,650 kilometres long, while the Amazon is only 6,400 kilometres long. The Guinness Book of World Records also recognises the former as the champion, however it does mention that “which is the longer is more a matter of definition than simple measurement”.
This has been the basis of the debate for years. Encyclopaedia Britannica measures the Amazon starting from the headwaters of the Apurimac River in southern Peru, however, neuroscientist and explorer James “Rocky” Contos proposed in 2014 the source of the river to be at the Mantaro River, in northern Peru, making the Amazon “77 kilometres longer than what geographers had thought previously”, Contos told AFP.
The northerner starting point, combined with a mouth to the south of the delta would then make the Amazon longer than the Nile.
2. Reconnaissance expedition
Brazilian explorer Yuri Sanada has decided to put the debate to an end once and for all. In April 2024 he will set out on a reconnaissance expedition with a team including Contos and French explorer Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
“The main objective is to map the river and document the biodiversity” of the surrounding ecosystems, Sanada told AFP, mentioning that only about 10 people have sailed the full length of the Amazon before, but none of them with these objectives. Sanada, who owns film production company Aventuras (Adventures) with his wife, Vera, also plans to make a documentary on the trip.
The Amazon is [here], but the consequences of destroying it and the duty to preserve it are everyone’s.
Yuri Sanada, Brazilian explorer
Moreover, even if their mission does not manage to determine whether the Amazon is longer than the Nile or not, Sanada hopes it will be drawing attention to the Amazon rainforest and its vital role in mitigating climate change, as well as the global community’s responsibility to preserve it.
The team will initially be split in 2 groups. Contos will be guiding the group tracking the Amazon from the Mantaro, rafting down the stream until it converges with the Apurimac. The other group, which Cousteau will be part of, will follow the banks of the Apurimac on horseback, as the river is not fit for rafting.
Once the team is reunited, they will board 3 custom-made canoes, run by solar power and pedals. The crafts are equipped with distance measurement sensors, which will allow the explorers to “make a much more precise measurement”, said Sanada.
While the team will likely encounter many wilderness dangers, including running into alligators, anacondas and jaguars, Sanada revealed he is “most afraid of drug traffickers and illegal miners”, which is why the cabins of the canoes are bulletproof. The explorers are also in talks with local authorities hoping to get an armed escort for the most dangerous legs of the journey.
