Part 2/16:
However, many overlook the true scale of this wonder. The Amazon rainforest is by far the largest on Earth, surpassing the Congo basin by a significant margin—threefold, in fact. The Amazon River, with its immense volume, moves water at speeds six times faster than any other river on the planet. Combine the Nile, Mississippi, Congo, Ganges, Thames, and Yangtze, and their collective flow still pales in comparison to the Amazon’s mighty current. Its sheer size lends the region an almost eternal quality, making it hard to imagine it ever being any different. Yet, the Amazon we know today is a relatively recent formation, with a complex and often surprising past.