Overlooking the Paraná River from Encarnación, Paraguay. Across the river is downtown Posadas, Argentina

The Paraná River (Rio Paraná in Spanish (espa ol or castellano) Spoken in: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Nicaragua, Chile, USA, Venezuela, Costa Rica , Cuba, Peru, and 34 other countries. Region: Total speakers: 417 million (including second language speakers) Ranking: 2 (first language speakers, may vary based on metric) Genetic classification: Indo-European  Italic   ... Spanish and Portuguese (Português) Spoken in: Angola, Andorra, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Luxembourg, Macau (China), Mozambique, Namibia, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and other countries. Region: see below Total speakers: 202.7 million–209.4 million1 Ranking: 6 Genetic classification: Indo-European  Italic  ... Portugese) is a For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. It is a specific term in the vernacular for large streams, stream being the umbrella term used in the... river in south central South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It became attached to North America only recently, geologically speaking, with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama... South America, running through For other uses, see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America_ it is actually larger than mainland USA. Spanning a vast area between the central South America and the Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru... Brazil, The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked republic in South America. Lying on both banks of the Paraguay River, it borders Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the northeast and Bolivia to the northwest. The name Paraguay is derived from the Guarani words pará, meaning river and guay... Paraguay and Argentina is a country in southern South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It became attached to North America only recently, geologically speaking, with the... 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 Paraiba river in Brazil. It is considered to second in size only to the Amazon Length 6,296 km Elevation of the source 5,597 m Average discharge 219,000 m /s Area watershed 6,915,000 km Origin Nevado Mismi Mouth Atlantic Ocean Basin countries Brazil (62.4%), Peru (16.3%) Bolivia (12.0%), Colombia (6.3%) Ecuador (2.1%) The Amazon River... Amazon River among South American rivers.

Course

The Paraná river is formed at the A confluence is the merger or meeting of two or more objects (or subjects) that seem to inseparably bind their respective forces or attributes into a point of junction. Contents // 1 Geography 2 Etymology 3 HDL 4 Computer science 4.1 Local and global confluence 4.2 Example 4.3... confluence of the Paraiba and The Rio Grande is a left tributary of the Paraná River in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. Its length is 1360 km. Categories: Brazil geography stubs ... Grande (Rio Grande) rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southeastern 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 For other uses, see Waterfall (disambiguation). Tower Fall in Yellowstone National Park A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. Waterfalls may also be artificial, and they... waterfall, where the Paraná fell over a series of seven cascades. This natural feature was said to rival the world famous Iguaçu Falls to the south. The falls were flooded, however, by the construction of the Itaipu Dam Itaipu (Portuguese: Itaipu; SAMPA [itajpu]) is a dam that includes the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. It is situated along the Paraná River and produces 25% of the power of Brazil and 90% of Paraguays. The plant is capable of producing 12,600 MW... Itaipu dam which began operating in This page is about the year 1984. For other uses of 1984, see 1984 (disambiguation). 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Years: 1981 1982 1983 - 1984 - 1985 1986 1987 Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century... 1984.

For the next approximately 190 km (118 miles) the Paraná flows southward and forms a natural boundary between the countries of Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the Iguaçu River. Shortly upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the impressive Itaipu dam, the largest Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. The lower power station has four water turbines which can generate 360 megawatts of electricity within 60 seconds of the need arising. Hydroelectricity... hydroelectric generating station in the world, and creating a massive, shallow A reservoir (French: réservoir) is an artificial lake created by flooding land behind a dam. Some of the worlds largest lakes are reservoirs. Surveyors have to find river valleys which are deep and narrow; the valley sides can then act as natural walls. The best place for building... reservoir behind it.

After merging with the Iguaçu, 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) before encountering the The Paraguay River near Asunción The River Paraguay is a major river in South America, running from west Brazil south through the centre of Paraguay to flow into the River Parana. It is 2,549km long. The rivers source lies just south of Diamantino, in the Brazilian province... Paraguay River (Rio Paraguay), 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 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 This article or section should include material from Rosario, Argentina This is an article about a city in Argentina. For other uses of Rosario, see Rosario (disambiguation). Rosario is the largest city of Santa Fe Province, Argentina, and the second most populous in the country, with approximately 1 million inhabitants... Rosario for the final stretch of less than 500 km (311 miles) before merging with the The Uruguay River (Spanish: Rio Uruguay) is a river in South America. The river flows from North to South and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. It forms, with the Parana River, the River Plate estuary. The Rio Uruguay is navigable from around Salto Chico. Its name comes, as... Uruguay River to form the This page discusses the estuary. For the football (soccer) team, see Club Atlético River Plate. A satellite view of the estuary The River Plate (Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the estuary formed from the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. It is a funnel... River Plate (Rio de la Plata) and emptying into the For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) Earths five Oceans Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The oceans name, derived from Greek mythology, means the Sea of Atlas. This... Atlantic Ocean.

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 For other uses, see Bolivia (disambiguation). The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil in the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina in the south, and Chile and Peru in the west. Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simón Bolívar... Bolivia. If the Uruguay River is counted as a tributary to the Paraná, this watershed extends to cover much of The Republic Eastern of the Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay), is a Spanish speaking country located in southern South America. The nation is triangular in shape and is bordered by Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Rio de la Plata... Uruguay as well. The volume of water flowing into the Atlantic Ocean through the River Plate is roughly equal to the volume at the Mississippi Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge 16,200 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98.5%) Canada (1.5%) This page is about the river in the United States; for... Mississippi River Delta can signify: Δ or δ, a letter of the Greek alphabet. See delta (letter) A triangular area of alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river, roughly in shape of Δ. See river delta. The large triangular region of alluvial deposit at the mouth of the river Nile in... delta. This watershed services a number of large cities, including Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish (espa ol or castellano) Spoken in: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Nicaragua, Chile, USA, Venezuela, Costa Rica , Cuba, Peru, and 34 other countries. Region: Total speakers: 417 million (including second language speakers) Ranking: 2 (first language speakers, may vary based on metric) Genetic classification: Indo... Buenos Aires, Map of Paraguay Pante n de los H roes in Asunci n Asunci n, population 500,939 (1992), is the capital of Paraguay. Its Metropolitan Area, named Gran Asunci n, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambar , Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, emby and Villa Elisa; having... Asuncion and Bras lia is the capital city of Brazil and is located in the center of the country in a federal district created in the state of Goi s. It is between 15 30 and 16 03 South latitude, limited by the Preto River on the East and by the Descoberto... Brasilia. The Paraná and its tributaires are a source of income and even daily sustenance for a number of fishermen who live along its banks.

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 Yacyreta and Itaipu dams on the Paraguay border have made the small, largely undeveloped nation the world's largest exporter of hydroelectric power.

External links

• Information and a map of the Paraná's Watershed (http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_detail_static.cfm?map_select=425&theme=2)