The Amazon Basin is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north and the Brazilian Highlands to the south. The Amazon, which rises in the Andes Mountains at the west of the basin, is the second longest river in the world. It covers a distance of about 6,400 km before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon and its tributaries form the largest volume of water. The Amazon accounts for about 20% of the total water carried to the oceans by rivers. Some of the Amazon Rainforest is deforested because of a growing interest in hardwood products.
The highest point in the watershed of the Amazon is the peak of Yerupajá at 6,635 m (21,768 ft).
Politically the basin is divided into the Brazilian Amazônia Legal, the Peruvian Amazon, the Amazon Region of Colombia and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador and the Venezuelan state of Amazonas.
The river is the principle path of transportation for people and produce in the regions, with transport ranging from balsa rafts and dugout canoes to hand built wooden