Parana River
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This article is about the second-longest river in South America: For the shorter river in Goiás, central Brazil, see Paranã 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 over a course of some 2,570 kilometers (1,600 miles). This length increases to 3,998 km (2,484 miles) if the distance is counted from the headwaters of the Paranaiba River in Brazil. It is second in size only to the Amazon River among South American rivers and is the tenth longest river in the world. The name Paraná comes from the native Tupi language and means "like the sea" (that is, "as big as the sea").
Course
The Paraná River is formed at the confluence of the Paranaiba and Grande rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about 619 km (385 miles) 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 190 km (118 miles) 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, and creating 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 468 km (291 miles) before making a gradual turn to the west for another 820 km (510 miles), 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 cities lower areas.
From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately 820 km (510 miles) through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of Rosario for the final stretch of less than 500 km (311 miles) before merging with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. During the part of its course, downstream from the city of Diamante, Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and forms the Paraná Delta, a long flood plain which reaches up to 60 km (39 miles) in width.
River Segments
The Paraná River is divided into four sections, the Upper, High, Middle, and Lower.
Upper
The Upper Paraná River includes about one-third of the Paraná River Basin and is located completely in Brazil with the exception of a stretch within the Itaipu Reservoir, which borders Paraguay. The floodplain of this section is 230 km (143 miles) and starts from the Porto Primavera Dam and runs to the upper portion of the Itaipu Reservoir. There are no dams along this stretch, which makes it favorable for migratory fish to complete their life cycles. The three types of habitats needed to flourish are spawning, nursery, and feeding. The carnivorous characiformes species, such as piranha, prefer spawning in turbulent shallow water of 3 m (10 feet) on rocky riverbeds and often spawn during floods usually from October to January. Siluriformes, such as catfish, spawn from December to March and prefer quieter waters with sandy river bottoms. The nursery habitats are lagoons of the lower parts of the tributaries. Studies have suggested lagoons are the richest in diversity and abundance of phytoplankton and macrophytes. The feeding habitats for adult fish are located throughout the Upper Paraná, the main river channel, meandering rivers and tributaries, rapid rivers, and the Itaipu Reservoir.
High
The High Paraná section of the river starts at the Itaipu dam and ends at the tri-national border of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. This portion of the river is 1,944 km (1,208 miles) and flows southwest and then west along the borders of Paraguay and Argentina from the Iguaçu River. The controversial Yacyretá dam is in the mid-section of the High Paraná and has 20 turbines with a power of 4,050 MW that can produce 19,080 GWh per year. It was equipped with two fish elevators to allow fish to go upstream during the reproductive season.
Middle and Lower
This Middle portion of the Paraná begins where it meets the Paraguay River at Corrientes and turns south to run through Argentina. Here it is a typical plains river with numerous islands. The Lower portion starts at Santa Fé where the last tributary, the Salado River, comes in. Due to the constant erosion of the west bank, which is higher than the east bank, the water is turbid and divided into many branches. The delta starts at Diamante where the river turns southeast for the final 320 km (199 miles) into the Río de la Plata.
Delta
The world's only river delta that is in contact not with the sea but with another river, the Delta of the Paraná is an extensive wetland that provides a vital ecosystem for a wide variety of plant and animal species, such as the Marsh Deer, Pampas Cat, and jaguar. These wetlands also play an important role in the regional hydrology and water quality. The area is important to the regional economy as well because of extensive forest plantations of mainly willow and poplar trees, which thrive in the delta environment. Sustainable development of the delta region rests upon maintaining the bio-diversity and overall health of the ecosystem, as well as long-term management of the forest industry.
Uses
The Paraná along with its tributaries creates a massive watershed that spreads throughout much of the south central part of the continent, essentially encompassing all of Paraguay, much of southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and even reaching into Bolivia. If the Uruguay River is counted as a tributary to the Paraná, this watershed extends to cover much of Uruguay as well. The volume of water flowing into the Atlantic Ocean through the Río de la Plata is roughly equal to the volume at the Mississippi River delta. This watershed services a number of large cities, including Buenos Aires, Asunción, and Brasília.
The Paraná and its tributaries are a source of income and even daily sustenance for a number of fishermen who live along its banks. Some fish species, such as the surubí, which reach 130 cm (4 feet) in length and the sábalo, which range from 50 to 60 cm (2 feet) long, are commercially important and exploited for massive internal consumption or for export. The sábalo is a key species of the river as it forms the base of the food chain that ends with larger fish like the surubí. Experts recommend an upper limit catch of 20,000 tonnes be maintained, however in 2004, 34,000 tonnes were exported. In an attempt to facilitate the reproduction of the sábalo, Argentina’s national government banned the export of fish of the Paraná River for eight months starting January 1, 2007.
Much of the length of the Paraná is navigable and is used as an important waterway linking inland cities in Argentina and Paraguay to the ocean, providing deep-water ports in many of these cities. The construction of massive hydroelectric dams along the river’s length has blocked its use as a shipping corridor to cities further upstream, but the economic impact of those dams is considered to offset this. The Yacyretá and Itaipú dams on the Paraguay border have made the small, largely undeveloped nation the world’s largest exporter of hydroelectric power.
Links across the Paraná
The Argentine course of the Paraná is crossed by the following bridges, beginning upstream:
- San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge, between Posadas, capital of Misiones Province, Argentina and Encarnación, Paraguay, capital of the Paraguayan department of Itapúa
- General Belgrano Bridge between Resistencia (capital of Chaco) and Corrientes (capital of Corrientes).
- Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel, which runs under the river between Santa Fe (capital of Santa Fe) and Paraná (capital of Entre Ríos).
- Rosario-Victoria Bridge between Rosario, Santa Fe, and Victoria, Entre Ríos.
- Zárate-Brazo Largo Bridge between Zárate, Buenos Aires and Brazo Largo, Entre Ríos.
Additionally, a bridge between Reconquista, Santa Fe and Goya, Corrientes is under study. Also, as recent as 1998 there were joint studies carried out by the governments of Uruguay and Argentina for the construction of a bridge between the two countries over the Río de La Plata estuary, the exact location was not decided.
Notes
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Sources and further reading
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HERE ARE SOME GOOD LINKS TO ACCESS FOR RESEARCHING THIS ARTICLE - they are properly formatted
- The Paraguay-Paraná, The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- Paraná, river, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- MIGRATORY FISHES OF THE UPPER PARANÁ RIVER BASIN, BRAZIL, Canada's International Development Research Centre. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- Parana River Delta, Argentina; Mapping Forested Areas & Natural Vegetation Communities, Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- Iriondo, Martin, Juan Cesar Paggi, and Maria Julieta Parma. 2007. The Middle Paraná River: limnology of a subtropical wetland. Berlin: Springer ISBN 9783540706236
- Kaul Grünwald, Guillermo, and Mary H. Jackson. 1966. For our river Parana. Northwest Missouri State College Studies, v. 30, no. 4. Maryville, Mo: Northwest Missouri State College.
- Lothrop, S. K. 1980. Indians of the Paraná Delta, Argentina. New York: AMS Press. Harvard ISBN 0404158676 and ISBN 9780404158675
External links
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