The Araguaia River ( pt, Rio Araguaia ,
Karajá
The Karajá, also known as Iny, are an indigenous tribe located in Brazil.[Karaja Indians.]
''Hands Aro ...
: ♂ ''Berohokỹ''
eɾohoˈkə̃ ♀ ''Bèrakuhukỹ''
ɛɾakuhuˈkə̃ is one of the major rivers of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
though it is almost equal in volume at its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
with the Tocantins. It has a total length of approximately 2,627 km.
Geography
The Araguaia River comes from Goiás-Mato Grosso south borders. From there it flows northeast to a junction with the
Tocantins
Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...
near the town of São João.
Along its course, the river forms the border between the states of
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
,
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
,
Tocantins
Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...
and
Pará
Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
. 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 the
Javaés River
The Javaés River ( pt, Rio Javaés or ''Braço Menor do Rio Araguaia'', Karajá language, Javaé: ♂ ''Bero Biòwa'' eˈɾo bɪɔˈwa ♀ ''Bèraku Bikòwa'' ɛɾaˈku bɪkɔˈwa is a river of Tocantins state in central Brazil. It is a tr ...
). These later reunite, forming the
Ilha do Bananal, the world's largest river island.
The vein of the Javaés forms a broad inland where it pours back into the main Araguaia, a 100,000 hectare expanse of
igapó
Igapó (, from Old Tupi: "root forest") is a word used in Brazil for blackwater-flooded forests in the Amazon biome. These forests and similar swamp forests are seasonally inundated with freshwater. They typically occur along the lower reaches of ...
s or flooded forest, blackwater river channels, and
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...
s called
Cantão Cantão is a tropical forest ecosystem located in the central Araguaia river basin, the southeastern edge of the Amazon biome, in the Brazilian state of Tocantins. It is one of the biologically richest areas of the eastern Amazon, with over 70 ...
, protected by the
Cantão State Park. It is one of the biologically richest areas of the eastern Amazon, with over 700 species of birds, nearly 300 species of fish, large populations of species such as the
giant otter
The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of musteli ...
, the
black caiman, the
pirarucú
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae within the family Osteoglossi ...
, one of the world's largest freshwater fish, and the
Araguaian river dolphin (or Araguaian boto), all occurring within a large area.
A large portion of the Araguaia's course is navigable all year, but the river below the Cantão wetlands is interrupted by rapids.
The middle and lower basin of the river is in the
Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests
The Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests (NT0180) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome.
The ecoregion is one of the most severely degraded of the Amazon region, suffering from large-scale deforestation ...
ecoregion.
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 biome
The Amazon biome ( pt, Bioma Amazônia) contains the Amazon rainforest, an area of tropical rainforest, and other ecoregions that cover most of the Amazon basin and some adjacent areas to the north and east. The biome contains blackwater and white ...
; however, the Araguaia River is not a tributary of the Amazon.
"Araguaia" means "River of the
macaw
Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.
Biology
Of the many differe ...
s" in the native
Tupi language
Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to the ...
.
Tributaries
![Araguaia River](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Araguaia_River.jpg)
Its principal tributary is the
Rio das Mortes
The Rio das Mortes ("River of the Dead") is a river of Mato Grosso state in western Brazil. It has a length of 580 km.
See also
*List of rivers of Mato Grosso
List of rivers in Mato Grosso (Brazilian State).
The list is arranged by drai ...
, which rises in the
Serra de São Jerônimo
Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to:
People
* Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer
* Serra (surname)
* Serra (given name)
Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil
*Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area
*Ampa ...
, near
Cuiabá
Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city' ...
, Mato Grosso, and is navigable to
Pará
Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
.
Other important tributaries include the
Bonito
Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...
,
Garcas,
Tapirape and the
Formoso
Formoso is a municipality in north Goiás state, Brazil. The population was 4,172 (2020) in a total area of 844 km².
Highway connections from Goiânia are made by GO-080 / Nerópolis / São Francisco de Goiás / BR-153 / Jaraguá / GO-080 ...
or Cristalino on the west, and the
Pitombas,
Claro,
Vermelho,
Tucupa and
Chavante
The Xavante (also Shavante, Chavante, Akuen, A'uwe, Akwe, Awen, or Akwen) are an indigenous people, comprising 15,315 individuals within the territory of eastern Mato Grosso state in Brazil. They speak the Xavante language, part of the Jê la ...
on the east.
History
It was explored in part by
Henri Coudreau
Henri Anatole Coudreau (6 May 1859 Sonnac – 10 November 1899, State of Pará, Brazil) was a French professor of history and geography, explorer and geographer of French Guiana and the tributaries of the Amazon.
Exploration of the Amazon
At ...
in 1897. From 1972 to 1974 this region was the scene of
a conflict between
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
guerrilla movements and forces supporting the then
military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer.
The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
.
Towns
Among the most important settlements on the banks of the Araguaia River are (in a downstream order):
*
Barra do Garças
Barra do Garças is a city with a population of 61,135 located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, around far from the capital city of Cuiabá. It was founded on 13 June 1924, but it became political independent just on 15 September 1948. Now ...
*
Aragarças
Aragarças is a municipality in southwest Goiás state, Brazil.
Location
Aragarças is the most important town in the Aragarças Microregion. It is 410 km from the state capital, Goiânia on the confluence of two important rivers, the Garça ...
*
Aruanã
Aruanã is a municipality in north-western Goiás state, Brazil. The population is 10,110 (2020 est.) in an area of 3050.31 km2. Aruanã is located on the Araguaia River, 324 km from the state capital, Goiânia, 59 km northwest of ...
*
Luiz Alves
*
São Félix do Araguaia
São Félix do Araguaia is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil.
The city is served by São Félix do Araguaia Airport.
See also
*List of municipalities in Mato Grosso
This is a list of the municipa ...
*
Santa Terezinha
Santa Teresinha is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin Ameri ...
*
Araguacema
Araguacema is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Tocantins (state), Tocantins. Its population was 7,155 (2020) and its area is 2,778 km².
The municipality contains 17.15% of the Ilha ...
*
Conceição do Araguaia
Conceição do Araguaia is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin A ...
*
Xambioá
*
São Geraldo do Araguaia
São Geraldo do Araguaia is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil.
The municipality contains the Serra dos Martírios/Andorinhas State Park, created in 1996.
It contains the São Geraldo do Araguaia Environment ...
*
São João do Araguaia
São João do Araguaia is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil.
See also
*List of municipalities in Pará
This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Pará (PA), located in the North Region of Brazil. ...
Tourism
Several parts of the river's course are protected by national parks and other reserves like the
Emas National Park
The Emas National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional das Emas, literally meaning " Rhea National Park") is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil.
Description
The National Park is locat ...
and the
Araguaia National Park. The Araguaia has "beaches" - bright sandy banks that seam the stream from May to October.
Deforestation and Impacts on the Araguaia
Deforestation and expansion of cattle ranching and agriculture in the Araguaia basin has been extreme during the last four decades.
As a consequence, strong linear erosion has produced thousand of gullies just in the upper Araguaia basin, and the river mainstem suffered strong sedimentation and fluvial metamorphism (changes in its channel pattern).
See also
*
List of rivers of Goiás
List of rivers in Goiás (Brazilian State).
The list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name and ordered from downstream to upstream. All rivers in Goiás drain to the Atlantic Ocean.
...
*
South Amazon Ecotones Ecological Corridor
The South Amazon Ecotones Ecological Corridor ( pt, Corredor Ecológico dos Ecótonos Sul-Amazônicos) is a proposed ecological corridor connecting conservation units and indigenous territories that form an ecotone, or transition between the south ...
*
Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
References
External links
''Rio Araguaia (information for tourists in Portuguese, Spanish and English)''''Hotel, turismo, pescaria, passeios ecológicos Araguaia,Luiz Alves, Bananal, Cristalino''Tocantins state, with Riversv-Brazil.com
Pará state, with Riversv-Brazil.com
Brazilian Ministry of Transport
{{Authority control
Rivers of Mato Grosso
Rivers of Tocantins
Rivers of Pará
Tributaries of the Amazon River
Rivers of Goiás