Purus River

River, northwest-central South America.

It rises in Peru and flows generally northeast through the rainforests of Peru and Brazil in one of the world's most meandering courses. In Brazil it joins the stretch of the Amazon River upstream from Manaus known as the Solimõ es River. At its mouth it divides into numerous branches. Most of its 1,995-mi (3,211-km) course is navigable, as are the many lakes formed near its shores. Rubber is gathered from forests along its course.

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▪ river, South America

Portuguese  Rio Purus,  Spanish  Río Purús  

      river that rises in several headwaters in southern Ucayali departamento, Peru. It flows in a generally northeasterly direction through the rain forests of Peru and Acre state, Brazil. Entering Amazonas state, Brazil, the Purus meanders sluggishly northward, eastward, and northeastward to join the stretch of the Amazon River upstream from Manaus, known as the Solimões River. At its mouth (3,900 feet [1,200 metres] wide) the river divides into numerous branches that emerge across from the Ananás e Consciência Islands. The Purus is practically a great drainage ditch for the half-submerged, lake-flooded district that it traverses. Most of its 1,995-mile (3,211-kilometre) course is navigable, as are the many lakes formed near its shores. The river, once known as the Coxiuara, is one of the world's most meandering streams, the straight-line distance from its rising to its mouth being less than half that by its meanders. Rubber is gathered from forests along its course.

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