Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amazon, arriving at the river's mouth on 24 August 1542. He and his party sailed along the Atlantic coast until reaching Cubagua Island, near the coast of Venezuela.
A bust of Francisco de Orellana with a patch over his left eye
Shipwrights from Francisco de Orellana's expedition building a small brigantine, the San Pedro
Francisco de Orellana Monument at Guápulo, point of departure to the Amazon (from Quito).
The Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the longest or second-longest river system in the world, a title which is disputed with the Nile.
Satellite image of the Amazon Delta
Old drawing (from 1879) of Arapaima fishing at the Amazon river. The arapaima has been on Earth for at least 23 million years.
Amazon tributaries near Manaus
Amazonas state