Page "Amazon River" Paragraph 2

A study by Brazilian scientists concluded that the Amazon is actually longer than the Nile.

Using Nevado Mismi, which in 2001 was labeled by the National Geographic Society as the Amazon's source, these scientists made new calculations of the Amazon's length.

They calculated the Amazon's length as.

Using the same techniques they calculated the length of the Nile as, which is longer than previous estimates but still shorter than the Amazon.

They made it possible by measuring the Amazon downstream to the beginning of the tidal estuary of Canal do Sul and then, after a sharp turn back, following tidal canals surrounding the isle of Marajó and finally including the marine Waters of the Río Pará bay in its entire length.

Guido Gelli, director of science at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( IBGE ), told the Brazilian TV network Globo in June 2007 that it could be considered as a fact that the Amazon was the longest river in the world.

However, other geographers have had access to the same data since 2001, and a consensus has yet to emerge to support the claims of these Brazilian scientists.

As of 2010 the length of both the Amazon and the Nile remains open to interpretation and continued debate.