Editing Purus River (section)

== Geography ==

The Purus River rises in Peru.
It defines the boundary between Peru and Brazil in the centre of the state of [[Acre (state)|Acre]], then runs for a short distance along the boundary of the {{convert|231555|ha}} [[Santa Rosa do Purus National Forest]], a sustainable use conservation unit created in 2001 after it is joined by the [[Santa Rosa River (Acre)|Santa Rosa River]].
The Purus then flows north east through [[Manoel Urbano]]<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|FLONA de Santa Rosa do Purus – ISA}}|language=pt
 |title=FLONA de Santa Rosa do Purus|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental
 |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/5945|access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref>
It runs through a continuous forest at the bottom of the great depression, lying between the Madeira River, which skirts the edge of the [[Brazil]]ian [[sandstone]] plateau, and the [[Ucayali River]], which hugs the base of the [[Andes]].{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

In the state of [[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]] the river runs through the {{convert|133637|ha}} [[Arapixi Extractive Reserve]], created in 2006 and past the town of [[Boca do Acre]] at the end of the [[BR-317]] highway.<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|RESEX Arapixi – ISA}}|language=pt |title=RESEX Arapixi|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/877|access-date=2016-09-08}}</ref>
Further down, it forms the west boundary of the {{convert|256000|ha}} [[Purus National Forest]], created in 1988.<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|FLONA do Purus – ISA}}|language=pt
 |title=FLONA do Purus|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental
 |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/5112|access-date=2016-09-08}}</ref>
From the town of [[Pauini]] down to the town of [[Lábrea]] the river is bordered by the  {{convert|604209|ha}} [[Médio Purus Extractive Reserve]], created in 2008.<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|RESEX Médio Purus – ISA}}|language=pt |title=RESEX Médio Purus|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/en/uc/4548|access-date=2016-09-03}}</ref>
Below this it runs through the {{convert|197,986|ha}} [[Canutama Extractive Reserve]] along the stretch between the towns of Lábrea and [[Canutama]].<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|RESEX Canutama – ISA}}|language=pt |title=RESEX Canutama|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/1575|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref>
In the lowest reaches the river flows through the {{convert|1008167|ha}} [[Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve]], established in 2003, which holds a large part of its floodplain.<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|RDS Piagaçu-Purus – ISA}}|language=pt |title=RDS Piagaçu-Purus|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental |url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/5047|access-date=2016-08-20}}</ref>
It enters the Amazon River west of the [[Madeira River]], which it parallels as far south as the falls of the latter stream.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

[[William Chandless]] found its elevation above sea level to be only {{convert|107|ft|m}} {{convert|590|mi|km}} from its mouth. It is one of the most crooked streams in the world, and its length in a straight line is less than half of its length following its curves. It is practically only a drainage ditch for the half-submerged, lake-flooded district it crosses.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}
Its width is very uniform for {{convert|1000|mi|km}} up, and for {{convert|800|mi|km}} its depth is never less than {{convert|45|ft|m}}.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

[[File:Purus Red Howler Monkey.jpg|thumb|left|Purus red howler monkey]]