The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some .
["Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 26 May. 2012 https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/443063/Parana-River . "Rio de la Plata". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 26 May. 2012
https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/463804/Rio-de-la-Plata ] Among South American rivers, it is second in length only to the
Amazon River. It merges with the
Paraguay River and then farther downstream with the
Uruguay River to form the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The first European to go up the Paraná River was the Venetian explorer
Sebastian Cabot, in 1526, while working for Spain.
A drought hit the river in 2021, causing a 77-year low.
Etymology
In eastern South America there is "an immense number of river names containing the element ''para-'' or ''parana-''", from
Guarani language
Guarani (Avañe'ẽ), also called Paraguayan Guarani, is a language of South America that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani branch of the Tupian languages, Tupian language family. It is one of the two official languages of Paraguay (along with Spa ...
words meaning "river" or "sea"; attempts to derive a more precise meaning for the name of this, the largest of them, e.g. "kin of the sea", have been discounted.
Course
The course is formed at the confluence of the
Paranaiba and
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about before encountering the city of
Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay. This was once the location of the
Guaíra Falls (Sete Quedas waterfalls, 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 approximately the next , the Paraná flows southward and forms a natural boundary between Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the
Iguazu River. Further upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the Itaipu Dam, the third largest
hydroelectric power plant
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
in the world (following the
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam (), officially known as Yangtze River Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project () is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downs ...
and the
Baihetan Dam, both in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
), creating a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.
After merging with the Iguazu, the Paraná becomes the natural border between Paraguay and Argentina. Overlooking the Paraná River from
Encarnación, Paraguay, across the river, is downtown Posadas, Argentina. The river continues its general southward course for about before making a gradual turn to the west for another , 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. 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 city's lower areas.
From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
for the final stretch of less than before merging with the
Uruguay River to form the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
. This flows into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. During the part of its course downstream from the city of
Diamante, Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and it forms the
Paraná Delta.
Tributaries
The main tributaries from the mouth:
*Period: 1971–2000
Uses
Together with its tributaries, the Rio Paraná forms a massive
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
that encompasses much of the southcentral part of South America, essentially including all of Paraguay, much of southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and the southeastern part of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. If the
Uruguay River is counted as a tributary to the Paraná, this watershed extends to cover most of
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
as well. The volume of water flowing into the Atlantic Ocean through the Río de la Plata roughly equals the volume at the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
. This watershed contains a number of large cities, including
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
,
Asunción
Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
,
Brasília
Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
, and
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
.
The Paraná and its tributaries provide a source of income and of daily sustenance for fishermen who live along its banks. Some of the species of fish (such as the
surubí and the
sábalo) are commercially important, and they are exploited for heavy internal consumption or for export. The Parana River delta ranks as one of the world's greatest bird-watching destinations.
Much of the length of the Paraná is
navigable, as part of the and the . The river serves as an important waterway linking inland cities in Argentina and Paraguay with the ocean, providing deepwater ports in some of these cities. The construction of enormous 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 offsets this. The
Yacyretá Dam and the
Itaipu Dam on the Paraguay border have made the small, largely undeveloped nation of Paraguay the world's largest exporter of
hydroelectric power.
Due to its use for oceangoing ships, measurements of the water tables extend back to 1904. The data correlates with the Sun's
solar cycle
The Solar cycle, also known as the solar magnetic activity cycle, sunspot cycle, or Schwabe cycle, is a periodic 11-year change in the Sun's activity measured in terms of Modern Maximum, variations in the number of observed sunspots on the Sun ...
.
Gallery
File:Rio Parana SPOT 1033.jpg, Paraná River source at the border of the states of São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
, in Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
File:Confluence of the Iguazu and Parana rivers, Puerto Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina, 6th. Jan. 2011 - Flickr - PhillipC.jpg, Confluence of the Iguazu and Parana rivers. The Triple frontier is a bit further in the background center: On the left is Paraguay, on the right Brazil, taken from Argentina.
File:Amanecer en las Dunas de San Cosme y Damián.jpg, Sunrise over the Paraná River at San Cosme y Damián Dunes, Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
File:CPonte_Parana1.jpg, Container ship, traveling downstream by the city of Ramallo, Argentina
File:Puente Rosario-Victoria 2.jpg, The Rosario-Victoria Bridge
File:Paraná River Floodplain, Northern Argentina.jpg, Astronaut's photo showing a stretch of the Paraná, just downstream from Goya, Argentina
File:Vistaaereadeposadas.jpg, Parana river in Posadas, Argentina
File: Paraná River, Rosario (2).jpg, The sun rising over the Paraná River, from northeast of Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
, Argentina
File:Riodelaplatabasinmap.png, Map of the Rio de la Plata Basin showing the Paraná River and its major tributaries
Links across the Paraná
The course of the Paraná is crossed by the following bridges, beginning upstream:
See also
*
Tributaries of the Río de la Plata
*Paraná River steamers
References
External links
Information and a map of the Paraná's watershed*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parana River
Rivers of Argentina
Rivers of São Paulo (state)
Rivers of Mato Grosso do Sul
Rivers of Paraná (state)
Rivers of Paraguay
Argentina–Paraguay border
Brazil–Paraguay border
International rivers of South America
Alto Paraná Department
Border rivers