Brazil is geographically located in a subtropical and tropical climate. This explains the abundance of water in its territories. We will bring to your attention the largest rivers and lakes of Brazil. The list (alphabetically) we enclose below.
Rivers:
- Amazon.
- Parana.
- San Francisco
Lakes:
- Lagoa Mirin.
- Pathus.
- Underground lake.
Brazil rivers
The largest rivers and lakes of Brazil are characterized by impressive water volumes, a considerable extent.
We begin the description with the largest river in the country - the Amazon. Researchers who participated in the 1995 expedition found that the river (along with the tributaries of Apurimak and Ukayali) is the longest in the world. Its length is 7000 km.
Its depth at the mouth is 100 m. Yes, and upstream it is still quite solid (20 m). This allows large ocean vessels to sail along it to the port of Iquitos (Peru). The width of the mouth is about 200 km. I must say that the river does not flow into the ocean in a single stream, but is divided into numerous branches by numerous islands.
The waters of the Amazon are called white. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of sludge. Near the city of Manouas you can see an interesting phenomenon. Here, a tributary - the Rio Negru - flows into a mighty river. In this area, its depth and volume of water give a feeling that it has a black color. Pouring into the Amazon in a stormy stream, the waters do not mix for several kilometers and simultaneously flow with white and black sleeves.
Almost all major rivers and lakes of Brazil have an interesting fauna and flora. Most of the existing species are concentrated on the shores of the Amazon. In addition, the river is the "lungs" of the Earth, because its forests produce a huge amount of oxygen.
The largest rivers and lakes of Brazil - Parana, Paranaiba, Rio Grande
The second largest river in the country is Parana. It originates in the south of the Brazilian plateau. Its length is 4880 km.
Paranaiba
This is her right tributary, originating in the mountains of Minas Gerais. Its length is 1000 km. She has a fairly calm course.
Rio Grande
Left tributary of the river. Its source is in the same state, but in the Mantiqueira massif. Length - 1090 km. The upper reaches of the river are distinguished by a large number of rapids. This is the result of passing it through a lava plateau. In addition, there are cascades of waterfalls. The largest of them is Iguazu, located on the tributary of the same name. This is a favorite place for many tourists coming to Brazil.
Parana has a small coastline, it does not flow into the sea. The riverbank is swampy and low. Only in the south is an open space called the Campos.
Here are the main tributaries of this river.
The river is navigable. Boats with vacationers who came to these places on an excursion swim on it. Passengers and cargo are not transported on it. Due to the fact that this river is not very deep, large vessels are not recommended to sail along it.
There are flat plateaus in the Parana Valley. Serra Uru ui is the largest of them. Here is also the National Park of Brazil. It is the southwestern border of the state.
San francisco
The large rivers and lakes of Brazil, the list of which continues to San Francisco, are characterized by high water levels. Its length is 2900 km. Its source is located at the highest point of the Brazilian plateau. Going down from it, she passes a large number of thresholds.
In the middle course, the river is quite calm, because it flows mainly along a wide valley. After the city of Cabrobo, San Francisco carries its waters to the Atlantic Ocean through mountain ranges. It passes through a cascade of waterfalls of extraordinary beauty - Paulo Afonso, whose height is 81 m.
San Francisco is located in the driest part of the country, so its water level is largely dependent on the season. The river is navigable, but not all along.
Large rivers (and lakes) of Brazil, or rather, its eastern part, are characterized by inconsistency of the regime. These include Parnayba and Tokantins. In the dry period, some rivers of the northeast dry up.
Now we will go to the south of the country. There are few rivers here, but they are characterized by a constant regime due to the relatively uniform distribution of precipitation throughout the year. This is important for the hydropower plants located here. The largest river in this area is the Jacques.
Lakes
As follows from the above, in the territory of this country there are very large rivers. And the lakes of Brazil are notable for their considerable size and magnificent landscapes. The country is not very rich in individual lakes. More often they are located in river basins.
Most of Brazil's lakes are located off the Atlantic coast. The largest of them is Lagoa Mirin. It is also the largest in Latin America. There is a reservoir in the south of the country.
It should be noted that the large rivers and lakes of Brazil, photos of which you can see in our article, are amazingly picturesque. An example of this is the beautiful lagoon lake. It is separated by applied sandstone and a spit with swamps. It connects with another lake - Patus. A rich fauna is represented here.
More recently, Lagoa Mirin was not very popular with tourists, although today it is very often included in excursion programs. Fishing lovers are especially pleased here.
Lake patus
Not all major rivers and lakes of Brazil are deep-sea. For example, Lake Patus. It is not connected to the ocean. Its area is 10, 000 square kilometers. It is the largest shallow lake in the world. It is 240 km long and 48 km wide.
It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a sand spit 8 kilometers long. The surroundings of the lake cannot be called deserted. In the northwest is the city of Porto Alegre, which is the capital of the southern Brazilian state.
Today this city is a modern port, a major political, cultural and economic center of this region. Europeans first appeared here at the beginning of the 16th century. They mistakenly decided that Patus is the mouth of the Rio Grande River. This misconception has existed for several decades.
The Dutchman named the lake Frederic de Wit (1670) when he created maps of this region of the mainland. More precise coordinates of the lake were determined in 1698. A few years later, immigrants from the Azores appeared here. It was they who called this territory the Great St. Peter's River.
Here the city was laid, which later became the state capital. In those days, it was a land with a virgin nature. The space around the lake was surrounded by endless dense forests, with a rich wildlife.
The peculiarity of the lake is that the water level constantly fluctuates in it. This phenomenon is caused by river runoff. In these places, the level of rivers largely depends on the amount of precipitation.
In the vicinity of Patus, coal is mined and soil irrigation is carried out. In turn, this led to soil erosion, which had a negative impact on the entire ecology around the island.
