In which country does the Amazon river begin?

In which country does the Amazon river begin?

• A. Peru
• B. Brazil
• C. Colombia
• D. Ecuador

Answer: (A)

Where a river begins is about its source—the place where its main flow starts from headwaters. For the Amazon, those headwaters rise in the Andes of Peru. The streams that melt from the Peruvian highlands come together to form the Amazon’s main stem, with many maps tracing the origin to glacial melt in southern Peru near Nevado Mismi. Once the source is reached, the river flows eastward through Peru and onward into Brazil and the rest of the basin. So the Amazon begins in Peru, with downstream countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador receiving the water after that starting point.

Where a river begins is about its source—the place where its main flow starts from headwaters. For the Amazon, those headwaters rise in the Andes of Peru. The streams that melt from the Peruvian highlands come together to form the Amazon’s main stem, with many maps tracing the origin to glacial melt in southern Peru near Nevado Mismi. Once the source is reached, the river flows eastward through Peru and onward into Brazil and the rest of the basin. So the Amazon begins in Peru, with downstream countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador receiving the water after that starting point.