World’s longest river Nile might be just months away from losing its title
A team of international researchers and explorers will embark on a 7,000-kilometre journey in April 2024 to solve one of the biggest mysteries regarding the natural world.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica and Guinness World Records, it is Africa’s Nile.
But an upcoming Amazon River expedition could very well challenge this perception. A team of international researchers and explorers will embark on a 7,000-kilometre journey in April 2024 to solve one of the biggest mysteries regarding the natural world.
55-year-old Brazilian expedition leader Yuri Sanada was quoted as saying by CNN that “The Nile is like a worm and the Amazon is an anaconda.”
While it is already established that the Amazon is the world’s most voluminous river, the question persists which is the world’s longest. Amazon carries at least four times more water than any other river.
“So there’s no comparison – we have the biggest river. But the longest, we will see,” he added.
Where does the Amazon River originate from? That’s the question which revolves around the whole length dispute.
Traditionally, the researchers have been deeming the headwaters of the Apurimac River in southern Peru as the starting point of the river.
But many other scientists dispute that theory.
Expeditionists like James “Rocky” Contos, 51, claim to have discovered a more distant river source – the Mantaro River, in northern Peru.
“I was aware that the most distant source of the Amazon was considered to be the Apurimac, but when I was gathering all information – maps, hydrographs, etc. – in preparation for my trip to Peru, I realized that another river appeared to be longer,” Contos was quoted as saying by CNN.
The planned expedition will follow the course of the Amazon River through Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. It commences at the newly identified source in the Peruvian Andes, the Mantaro River.
The initial leg of the journey involves navigating the Mantaro’s rapids on a raft led by Contos. Upon reaching the confluence with the Ene River, the team will continue their voyage aboard three specially designed solar- and pedal-powered boats, tracing the Amazon’s path to the Atlantic Ocean along the Brazilian coast.
In early 2025, a secondary expedition is scheduled to start from the traditional source of the Amazon, the Apurimac River in Peru. This segment will provide an opportunity for a second set of measurements and will feature the participation of French explorer Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of the renowned oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, who will travel on horseback along the riverbanks.