Purus River

The Purus River is in South America. It flows from Peru. It joins the big Amazon River.

The water winds and turns a lot. It is a very crooked stream. This makes it much longer. It turns more than it goes straight.

Many trees grow near the water. A red monkey lives there.

People found old earthworks in the forest. These were made a long time ago. They look like shapes from above.

The river is a special place to see.

The Purus River is in South America. It starts in Peru. It flows into the big Amazon River.

This river is very crooked. It winds and turns a lot. The curves make it very long. It is one of the most crooked streams in the world. Its width stays the same for much of its length. The water is never less than 15 meters deep.

Many special places sit near the river. These are areas kept safe for nature. Many of these are reserves. One is the Abufari Biological Reserve. This is a strictly protected area.

Many animals live in this area. The Purus red howler is a type of monkey. It lives in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. A kind of catfish also lives here.

People found something old near the river. In 2008, they saw large earthworks. These are shapes made of dirt. They were made by an old group of people. We saw them using satellite pictures from space. These shapes were found in the forest near the Bolivian border.

The Purus River is a huge part of South America. It is a tributary of the mighty Amazon River. This means it is a smaller river that flows into the Amazon. The river starts high up in the country of Peru. It then flows into Brazil to form a border. The river sits in a low area called a depression. This area lies between the Madeira River and the Ucayali River.

This river is very special because of its shape. It is one of the most crooked streams in the world. It winds and turns many times as it moves. Because of these curves, the river is very long. A straight line would be less than half its actual length. The river stays a very steady width for most of its trip. It is also quite deep. The water is never less than 15 meters deep.

Many protected areas sit along the river banks. These places help keep nature safe for animals. In the state of Amazonas, the river flows through the Arapixi Extractive Reserve. It also passes the Abufari Biological Reserve. This is a strictly protected area near the town of Tapauá. The river also flows through the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve. This reserve holds a large part of the river's floodplain.

Many unique living things call this river home. The Purus red howler is a type of monkey. This monkey lives in Brazil, Peru, and north of Bolivia.

You can also find a catfish called Peckoltia brevis here. Much of the river flows through the Purus várzea ecoregion. This is a specific type of natural area. The river provides a home for all these different species.

In 2008, people found something amazing near the river. They found signs of an old civilization. This group of people lived there a long time ago. They lived near the border of Bolivia. Scientists used satellite pictures from space to see them. These pictures showed large geometric earthworks in the forest. These are shapes made out of dirt. This discovery showed that a complex society once lived in the western Amazon.

The Purus River is a major tributary of the Amazon River in South America. A tributary is a smaller river that flows into a larger one. The Purus River carries a massive amount of water into the Amazon system. It has a very large drainage basin, which is the area of land where water collects and flows into the river. The river is known for its extreme shape and its importance to the surrounding ecosystems. It plays a vital role in the geography of the western Amazon region.

The river begins its journey high up in the country of Peru. It flows into Brazil and forms a border between the two nations. This border sits in the center of the Brazilian state of Acre. After the Santa Rosa River joins it, the Purus flows northeast through Manoel Urbano. The river travels through a continuous forest located in a great depression. This low-lying area sits between the Madeira River and the Ucayali River. The Madeira River stays near the edge of the Brazilian sandstone plateau. Meanwhile, the Ucayali River runs along the base of the Andes mountains.

The Purus River is famous for its winding path through the landscape. It is one of the most crooked streams in the entire world. The river curves so much that its actual length is much greater than a straight line. In fact, a straight line between its start and end is less than half its actual length. The river is also very consistent in its physical dimensions. It maintains a very uniform width for most of its course. Its depth is also quite reliable and is never less than 15 meters deep. William Chandless measured its elevation above sea level near its mouth.

Many different protected areas exist along the banks of the Purus River. These zones help preserve the natural environment and the people who use it. In the state of Acre, the river defines the boundary of the Santa Rosa do Purus National Forest. This is a sustainable use conservation unit that was created in 2001. As the river moves into the state of Amazonas, it enters the Arapixi Extractive Reserve. This reserve was established in 2006. The river also forms the western boundary of the Purus National Forest, which was created in 1988. Further south, the Médio Purus Extractive Reserve protects the area between Pauini and Lábrea. This reserve was started in 2008. The river also passes through the Canutama Extractive Reserve and the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve. The latter was established in 2003 and protects a large part of the river's floodplain.

Biodiversity is very high within the Purus River basin. Many unique animals rely on this specific environment to survive. The Purus red howler, or *Alouatta puruensis*, is a species of monkey native to this area. These monkeys can be found in Brazil, Peru, and the northern parts of Bolivia.

You can also find a specific kind of catfish called *Peckoltia brevis* here. This fish lives in the middle and upper sections of the Amazon. Much of the central and lower river flows through the Purus várzea ecoregion. In the municipality of Tapauá, the river flows through the Abufari Biological Reserve. This is a strictly protected area designed to keep the ecosystem safe.

In 2008, researchers made a surprising discovery in the upper region of the river. This area is located near the border with Bolivia. Scientists found evidence of a previously unknown pre-Columbian civilization. This means the society existed before Europeans arrived in the Americas. After much of the forest was cleared for farming, satellite pictures revealed the truth. These images from space showed large geometric earthworks. These earthworks are structures made of soil that form specific shapes on the ground. This discovery proved that a complex society once lived in western Amazonia.

The Purus River serves as more than just a body of water. It acts as a drainage system for a district that is often half-submerged or flooded by lakes. The river enters the Amazon River to the west of the Madeira River. It follows a path that parallels the Madeira River as far south as the Madeira's falls. Because of its shape, depth, and the many protected reserves along its path, the Purus is a central feature of the South American landscape. It connects the Andes mountains to the great Amazon system through a complex and winding route.