Rio Grande (Paraná River tributary)
Rio Grande | |
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![]() Path of the Rio Grande [1] | |
Location | |
Country | Brazil |
State | Minas Gerais, São Paulo |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Mantiqueira Mountains |
• location | Bocaina de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
Mouth | Paraná River |
• location | confluence with Paranaíba River, Brazil |
• coordinates | 20°4′41″S 50°59′41″W / 20.07806°S 50.99472°W[1] |
Length | 1,090 km (680 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Río de la Plata |
Rio Grande[2] (Portuguese for "great river") is a river in south-central Brazil. It rises in the Mantiqueira Mountains in the state of Minas Gerais and descends inland, west-northwestward. Its lower course marks a portion of the Minas Gerais-São Paulo border. At the Mato Grosso do Sul state border, after a course of 1,090 km (677 mi),[3] it joins the Paranaíba River to form the Upper Paraná River.
Major tributaries of the Rio Grande are:
- Rio Aiuruoca, whose source is in Itamonte;
- Rio das Mortes, whose source lies between Barbacena and Senhora dos Remédios;
- Rio Jacaré, whose source is in the Serra do Galba;
- Rio Sapucaí, whose source is in the Mantiqueira Mountains in São Paulo;
- Rio Pardo, whose source is in Ipuiúna.
The basin of the Rio Grande belongs to the Paraná River basin. The basin has a total area of 143,000 km2 (55,213 sq mi), of which 86,500 km2 (33,398 sq mi) are located within Minas Gerais, which is equivalent to 17.8% of the state territory. The basin of the Rio Grande is responsible for about 67% of all energy generated in the state.
The Grande is interrupted by several
The river plays a major role in
See also
References
- ^ Rio Grande at GEOnet Names Server Coordinates adjusted using Google Maps and GeoLocator
- ^ Rio Grande at GEOnet Names Server
- ^ "Río de la Plata". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
External links
- Rio Grande at Wikimapia, Google terrain view, centered on the site of the photo above