River Amazon was named on 24th June 1541
Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and the first European to travel the length of the Amazon river, in 1541-42.
How the Amazon got its name
On 24 June 1541, Orellana and his men ran into a tribe of enormous fierce women warriors. They looked so much like the Amazons (from the ancient Greek legend about huge warrior women) that Orellana named the entire river "Amazonas" and it has been know as the Amazon ever since.
Facts about the Amazon River
Length: The Amazon River is 6280km long.
The Amazon River is the world's second longest rive and the world's wildest river.
The Amazon has the highest amount of water flowing down it.