{"id":3096,"date":"2023-03-16T18:21:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T17:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=3096"},"modified":"2023-03-16T18:21:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T17:21:10","slug":"why-is-the-amazon-river-named-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/why-is-the-amazon-river-named-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the amazon river named amazon?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Amazon River is named after the Amazon rainforest, which is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. The Amazon rainforest spans nine countries and covers more than five million square kilometers (two million square miles). The Amazon River is the longest river in South America and the second longest river in the world. It is more than 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) long.<\/p>\n

The Amazon River was named after the Amazon rainforest that it runs through. The rainforest is named after the ancient Greek legend of the Amazons, a race of warrior women.<\/p>\n

Why is the Amazon called the Amazon? <\/h2>\n

The name Amazon is said to arise from a war Francisco de Orellana fought with the Tapuyas and other tribes. The women of the tribe fought alongside the men, as was their custom. Orellana derived the name Amazonas from the Amazons of Greek mythology, described by Herodotus and Diodorus.<\/p>\n

The Amazon was originally known to Europeans as the Marañón, named after the Marañón River in present-day Peru. The name Marañón is derived from the Quechua word for “large river”. The Peruvian part of the Amazon is still known by that name today. The river was later renamed Rio Amazonas in Spanish and Portuguese, after the Amazon Rainforest that it flows through.<\/p>\n

Why is Amazon named after Greek mythology <\/h3>\n