The Araguaia River or, in Portuguese, Rio Araguaia is one of the major rivers of Brazil. It has a total length of approximately 2,627 km.

Geography

Like almost all large rivers, the Araguaia represents a whole fluvial system of itself. Because of the vast number of tributaries, it is not easy to unambiguously define its source. Important tributaries originate in the Araras mountain range in Mato Grosso as well in the Divisões mountain range situated in Goiás (according to other sources however, the Araguaía comes from the Caiapó Range, at the Goiás-Mato Grosso border). Flag of Mato Grosso See other Brazilian States Capital Cuiabá Largest City Cuiabá Area 906,806. ... Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. ...

Along its course, the river forms the border between the Brazilian federal states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins and Pará. 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 Rio Javaés). These later reunite, forming the Ilha do Bananal, the world's largest river island. Close to the town of São João, the Araguaia River flows into the Tocantins River. Tocantins is one of the states of Brazil. ... Flag of Pará See other Brazilian States Capital Belém Largest City Belém Area 1. ... Bananal Island (Portuguese: ) is a large island in the state of Tocantins in Brazil. ... The Tocantins is a river, the central fluvial artery of Brazil. ...

A large portion of the Araguaia's course is navigable all year.

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 Basin. However, the Araguaia River is not a tributary of the Amazon. The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. ...

"Araguaia" means "River of the Macaws" in the language of the native Tupi. Genera Ara Anodorhynchus Cyanopsitta Propyrrhura Orthopsittaca Diopsittaca Macaws are large colorful New World parrots, classified into six of the many Psittacidae genera: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Propyrrhura, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca. ... Tupi is the name of one of the main ethnic groups of Brazilian indigenous people, together with the related Guarani. ...

Tributaries

Important tributaries of the Araguaia River include: the Rio Vermelho, Rio Mortes and the Rio Tapirapé.

Towns

Among the most important settlements on the banks of the Araguaia River are (in a downstream order):

• Barra do Garças
• Aragarças
• Aruanã
• Luiz Alves
• São Félix do Araguaia
• Santa Terezinha
• Araguacema
• Conceição do Araguaia
• Xambioá
• São Geraldo do Araguaia
• São João do Araguaia

Barra do Garças is located in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, around 550 km (320 miles) far from Cuiabá Population: 50,000 people The city is situated in the border between Mato Grosso and Goiás states and due to a geodesic center settled down there, it was built an... Aragarças is a small town and municipality in southwest Goiás state, Brazil. ... Aruanã is a small town and municipality in north-western Goiás state, Brazil. ...

Tourism

Several parts of the river's course are protected by national parks and other reserves like the Emas National Park and the Araguaia National Park. The Araguaia is well-renowned for its scenic beauty, an especially noteworthy feature being its "beaches" - bright sandy banks that seam the stream from May to October. Throughout recent years, certain stretches of the river have become an important destination for ecotourism. Along with boat trips, amateur fishing is a popular activity with Brazilian as well as international tourists. The Emas National Park (Parque Nacional das Emas) is located in Goiás state in the center-west of Brazil, between 17º50’—18º15’ S and 52º39’—53º10’W. External Links Satellite photo (Google) See also List of national parks of Brazil Categories: | ... The Araguaia National Park (Parque Nacional do Araguaia) is located in Tocantins state in the north of Brazil, between 09º51’—11º11’S and 49º57’—50º27’W. External Links Satellite photo (Google) See also List of national parks of Brazil Categories: | ... Ecotourism essentially means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and social connotations. ...

However, despite the legal protection that long stretches of the Araguaia enjoy, several development projects present a potential threat to this as of yet largely unspoilt landscape.

External links

• Rio Araguaia (information for tourists in Portuguese, Spanish and English)
• hydrographic information (in Portuguese)