Araguaia River
| Araguaia River (Rio Araguaia) | |
|---|---|
 A tree in the Araguaia National Park in flood season | |
| Country | Brazil |
| States | Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Pará |
| Major cities | Aragarças, Barra do Garças |
| Length | 2,627 km (1,632 mi) |
| Watershed | 358,125 km² (138,273 sq mi) |
| Discharge at | Conceicaodo Araguaia |
| - average | 6,172 m³/s (217,962 cu ft/s) (1976-79) [1] |
| Mouth | Tocantins River |
 Map of the Araguaia/Tocantins Watershed | |
The Araguaia River or, in Portuguese, Rio Araguaia is one of the major rivers of Brazil, and the principal tributary of the Tocantins. It has a total length of approximately 2,627 km.
Geography
Because of the vast number of tributaries, it is not easy to unambiguously define its source. Important tributaries originate in the Araras mountain range in Mato Grosso as well in the Divisões mountain range situated in Goiás (according to other sources however, the Araguaía comes from the Caiapó Range, at the Goiás-Mato Grosso border). From there it flows northeast to a junction with the Tocantins near the town of São João.
Along its course, the river forms the border between the Brazilian federal states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins and Pará. Roughly in the middle of its course, the Araguaia splits into two forks (with the western one retaining the name Araguaia and the eastern one being called Rio Javaés). These later reunite, forming the Ilha do Bananal, the world's largest river island.
A large portion of the Araguaia's course is navigable all year, but the river below Bananal is interrupted by rapids.
The combined watershed of Araguaia and Tocantins rivers (named the Araguaia Tocantins Basin) covers approximately 9.5 % of Brazil's national territory. This area is an integral part of the Amazon Basin. However, the Araguaia River is not a tributary of the Amazon.
"Araguaia" means "River of the Macaws" in the native Tupi language.
Tributaries
Its principal tributary is the Rio das Mortes, which rises in the Serra de Sao Jeronymo, near Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, and is navigable to Pará.
Other important tributaries include the Bonito, Garcas, Cristallino and Tapirape on the west, and the Pitombas, Claro, Vermelho, Tucupa and Chavante on the east.
History
It was explored in part by Henri Coudreau in 1897. See Coudreau's Voyage au Tocantins-Araguaya (Paris, 1897).
Towns
Among the most important settlements on the banks of the Araguaia River are (in a downstream order):
- Barra do Garças
- Aragarças
- Aruanã
- Luiz Alves
- São Félix do Araguaia
- Santa Terezinha
- Araguacema
- Conceição do Araguaia
- Xambioá
- São Geraldo do Araguaia
- São João do Araguaia
Tourism
Several parts of the river's course are protected by national parks and other reserves like the Emas National Park and the Araguaia National Park. The Araguaia is well-renowned for its scenic beauty, an especially noteworthy feature being its "beaches" - bright sandy banks that seam the stream from May to October. Throughout recent years, certain stretches of the river have become an important destination for ecotourism. Along with boat trips, amateur fishing is a popular activity with Brazilian as well as international tourists.
However, despite the legal protection that long stretches of the Araguaia enjoy, several development projects present a potential threat to this as of yet largely unspoilt landscape.
References
External links
- Rio Araguaia (information for tourists in Portuguese, Spanish and English)
- hydrographic information (in Portuguese)
- Basin map (in Portuguese)
- Tocantins state, with Rivers v-brazil.com
- Pará state, with Rivers v-brazil.com
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Araguaia River". Image Credit.
