The Chuí, or Chuy'', ''Stream (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Arroio Chuí'' ,

Rioplatense Spanish Rioplatense Spanish (), also known as Rioplatense Castilian, is a variety of Spanish spoken mainly in and around the Río de la Plata Basin of Argentina and Uruguay. It is also referred to as River Plate Spanish or Argentine Spanish. It is ...

: ''Arroyo Chuy'' or ), is a short stream on the

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 ...

ian–

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an border that is celebrated as Brazil's southernmost point.

Geography

The Chui rises in a small swamp in the

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...

s of the far southern

ian

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Rio Grande do Sul. It runs initially southward, then turns east before flowing into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. In its final course, the stream marks the last stretch of the Brazilian border with

. In Brazil, it lies mostly in the municipality of Santa Vitória do Palmar, with a short section in

Chuí Chuí () is a municipality located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It's the southernmost municipality of Brazil, located in the coordinates 33°41′0″S . A border town, it shares its name with sister city Chuy, Uruguay. The two tow ...

. The Uruguayan side belongs to the city of

Chuy Chuy () is a city in the extreme east of Uruguay, in the Rocha Department, northeast of Montevideo. It lies on the border with Brazil, separated from its Brazilian sister town of Chuí only by a shared avenue that serves as the border, and by th ...

, in the department of Rocha. The Chuí spans only a few tens of kilometres long and its water volume is relatively weak. This is why it is called an ''arroio'' or ''arroyo'', which in

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

means "stream", respectively. It would be unremarkable, were it not for the fact that it is known throughout Brazil and mentioned in all Brazilian geography schoolbooks as being the country's southernmost point. The most southerly point of Brazil is on a bend of the stream approximately upstream from its mouth, near the twin coastal villages of Barra do Chuí (Brazil) and

Barra del Chuy Barra del Chuy is a resort (''balneario'') in the Rocha Department of southeastern Uruguay. Its name means Mouth of Chui (stream). It is the last coastal resort of Uruguay, bordering Brazil to the southeast with the stream Arroyo Chui as the natura ...

(Uruguay), at . The mouth of the Chuí Stream is not only the southernmost, but also the westernmost point of the

Brazilian coast The country of Brazil occupies roughly half of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil covers a total area of which includes of land and of water. The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at . Brazil is bordered by the count ...

, as well as both the northernmost and easternmost point of the Uruguayan coast. It also marks the southern end of Cassino Beach, the world's longest uninterrupted stretch of sandy ocean shore, stretching over from the stone breakwaters of Rio Grande in its northern end.

In popular culture

The widespread Brazilian Portuguese expression ''"do Oiapoque ao Chuí"'' ("from the

Oiapoque Oiapoque () is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906 and its area is . Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, ...

to the Chuí ivers) is used to mean the whole nation, by mentioning the waterways that mark respectively the northern and southern extremities of the Brazilian coastline (the mouth of the Oiapoque River is often mistakenly thought to be the entire country's northernmost point, not only of its coast). The saying is used in the same way as

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

use the expression "from coast to coast."

Gallery

Image:Barra do Chuí.jpg, The mouth of Arroio Chuí on the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil on the left, Uruguay on the right.
The stone breakwater on the left is both the southernmost and the westernmost point of the Brazilian coast; the one on the right is both the northernmost and the easternmost point of the Uruguayan coast. Image:Farolchui.jpg, Lighthouse on the Brazilian side. Image:Pontearroiochui.jpg, International bridge near the mouth, seen from the Brazilian side. Image:Arroio_Chuí_07.JPG, The exact southernmost point of Brazil, seen from the Uruguayan side.

References

External links

Barra del Chuy
(in Spanish) - site of the neighbouring Uruguayan beach resort village, with many photographs of the mouth of the Chuí and neighbouring beaches and villages on both the Brazilian and Uruguayan sides. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chui Stream Rivers of Rio Grande do Sul Rivers of Uruguay Brazil–Uruguay border Extreme points of Brazil Rivers of Rocha Department

Geography

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

External links