What is the difference between la Amazonia and el Amazonas in Spanish?

Question

I have read an article in Spanish about deforestation in the Amazon. I noticed that the article used both la Amazonia and el Amazonas. I looked up both terms and they both mean the Amazon, as in the river. Can you help me differentiate between the two?

Answer 1

Amazonia hace mas referencia a una zona / region = refers more a country; Amazonas hace mas referencia a un rio = refers more a river;( to make reference to river). But , can be to say both ways. Right???? bay, Dr. Jesua

Answer 2

I think both are interchangeable most of the times, but "el Amazonas", depending on the context, may be referring to just the river.