Parana river

The Paraná River (Río Paraná in Spanish, Rio Paraná in Portuguese) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This river, together with its tributaries, forms the larger of the two river systems that drain into the Río de la Plata. It is 3,032 miles (4,880 kilometers) long and extends from the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers in southern Brazil, running generally southwestward for most of its course, before turning southeastward to drain into the Río de la Plata.

The Paraguay-Paraná river system covers an area of almost 1 million square miles, making it the second largest river system in South America, outranked only by the Amazon River.

Along the Paraná's course is the impressive Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, which creates a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

Famous with sports fishermen worldwide for its dorado, the "Father of the Waters" supports 355 species of fish. The surubí and sábalo species in particular are a popular export.

History

The first European to travel the "Father of the Waters" (from the Guaraní language) was Sebastian Cabot in 1526.

In 1525 Cabot assumed charge of a three-ship Spanish expedition intended to develop trade with the Orient. However, he diverted the expedition to the South American continent due to reports of fabulous wealth in the Río de la Plata region. After three years of what was considered fruitless exploration, he returned to Spain where he was judged responsible for the failure of the expedition, and was banished to Africa.

The Paraná soon after became the principle explorers' route into the interior of the South American continent.

Geography

The Paraná, together with its tributaries, forms the larger of the two river systems that drain into the Río de la Plata. It is 3,032 miles (4,880 km) long and extends from the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers in southern Brazil, running generally southwestward for most of its course, before turning southeastward to drain into the Río de la Plata.

Course

The Paraná River is formed at the confluence of the Paranaíba and Grande rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about 385 miles (619 km) before encountering the city of Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay. This was once the location of the Sete Quedas waterfall, where the Paraná fell over a series of seven cascades. This natural feature was said to rival the world-famous Iguazu Falls to the south. The falls were flooded, however, by the construction of the Itaipu Dam, which began operating in 1984.

For the next approximately 118 miles (190 km) the Paraná flows southward and forms a natural boundary between Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the Iguazu River. Shortly upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the impressive Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, which created a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

After merging with the Iguazu, the Paraná then becomes the natural border between Paraguay and Argentina. The river continues its general southward course for about 291 miles (468 km) before making a gradual turn to the west for another 510 miles (820 km), and then encounters the Paraguay River, the largest tributary along the course of the river.

Before this confluence the river passes through a second major hydroelectric project, the Yacyretá Dam, a joint project between Paraguay and Argentina. It is the second largest dam in the world. The massive reservoir formed by the project has been the source of a number of problems for people living along the river, most notably the poorer merchants and residents in the low-lying areas of Encarnación, a major city on the southern border of Paraguay. River levels rose dramatically upon completion of the dam, flooding out large sections of the city's lower areas.

From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately 510 miles (820 km) through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of Rosario for the final stretch of less than 311 miles (500 km) before merging with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

During this part of its course, downstream from the city of Diamante in the province of Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and forms the Paraná Delta, a long flood plain which reaches up to 39 miles (60 km) in width.

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