What is the Madeira River project
John Thompson
Updated on May 05, 2026
The Madeira River project consists of two huge hydroelectric dams: Santo Antonio (projected cost US$ 4.35 billion, current estimate US$ 6.7 billion, installed generating capacity 3,150 MW) and Jirau (projected cost US$ 4.55 billion, installed capacity 3,300 MW).
What is special about the Madeira River?
It has been estimated that there are more than 900 fish species in the Madeira River Basin, making it one of the freshwater systems in the world with the highest species richness.
What is the largest tributary in the world?
The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Ob river and is also the longest tributary river in the world with a length of 4,248 km (2,640 mi). The Madeira River is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m3/s (1.1 million cu ft/s).
What countries does the Madeira river flow through?
Madeira River, Portuguese Rio Madeira, major tributary of the Amazon. It is formed by the junction of the Mamoré and Beni rivers at Villa Bella, Bolivia, and flows northward forming the border between Bolivia and Brazil for approximately 60 miles (100 km).Does the Amazon River run through Bolivia?
The Amazon River is located in the northern portion of South America, flowing from west to east. The river system originates in the Andes Mountains of Peru and travels through Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Brazil before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
Where is the Orinoco river?
Flowing in a giant arc from Colombia and Venezuela all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, the Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America, its basin and flooded forests home to rich plant and animal life.
Which river flows from western Bolivia to Madeira River?
The Mamoré meanders generally northward to the Brazilian border, at which point it is joined by the Iténez River (Portuguese: Guaporé). It constitutes the Bolivia-Brazil frontier as far north as Villa Bella, where it joins the Beni River to form the Madeira.
What is the longest tributary of the Amazon river?
The Apurímac River is the longest tributary flowing into the Amazon when the Mantaro is dry.Where is the Negro River?
Negro River, Spanish Río Negro, Portuguese Rio Negro, river in Uruguay, rising in the southern highlands of Brazil just east of Bagé.
What is the largest tributary of the Amazon river?The Negro River, the largest of all the Amazon tributaries, accounts for about one-fifth of the total discharge of the Amazon, and 40 percent of its aggregate volume is measured just below the confluence at Manaus.
Article first time published onWhere is the Tapajos river?
The Tapajós (Portuguese: Rio Tapajós [ˈʁi. u tɐpɐˈʒɔs]) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately 2,080 km (1,290 mi) long.
Where is the Paraguay River on a map?
Paraguay River Rio Paraguai, Río ParaguayMap of the Río de la Plata Basin, showing the Paraguay River joining the Paraná River near Resistencia and Corrientes, south of Asunción.LocationCountriesParaguay Brazil Argentina BoliviaPhysical characteristics
Where is the world's smallest river?
The Roe River is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s shortest river. The Roe flows 200 feet between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near Great Falls. The Roe River competes with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the shortest river.
What is the widest river in the world?
The Amazon River is a heck of a big tributary. Besides being one of the LONGEST rivers in the world, it also happens to be the WIDEST. While its estimated length of 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) puts it under the Nile River, that statistic could be amended as some believe it’s even longer than that.
What is the world's shortest river?
There, you will find what The Guinness Book of World Records has called the shortest river in the world. The Roe River measures an average 201 feet in length. It flows parallel to the mighty Missouri River.
What river crosses the equator twice?
The Congo River zigzags across the equator twice as it flows from eastern Africa, through the Congo rainforest, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, according to Mongabay, a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news site.
Why there is no bridge on Amazon River?
But the real reason for the lack of bridges is simply this: the Amazon Basin has very few roads for bridges to connect. The dense rainforest is sparsely populated outside of a few large cities, and the river itself is the main highway for those traveling through the region.
What was the longest river in the world before the Amazon River was discovered?
However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that that source of the Nile was discovered. Before then, the Amazon River in South America was considered the world’s longest river, as can be seen in the chart engraved by Thomas Starling below.
What major river flows through Bolivia?
Madeira. Madeira River is a major water body in South America and the longest river in Bolivia measuring 2,020 miles. It is one of the biggest tributaries of the Amazon River. Water flows into the Madeira River from other large rivers including Guapore, Blanco, and Beni.
What is capital of Bolivia?
The seat of national government was established there in 1898, but Sucre remains Bolivia’s constitutional capital, home to the country’s Supreme Court; La Paz is the seat of the executive and legislative branches.
What are major rivers in Bolivia?
Major Rivers and Lakes Four rivers drain Bolivia’s northern and northeastern valleys and plains: the Río Beni and its main affluent, the Río Madre de Dios; the Rio Guaporé, which forms part of the boundary with Brazil; and the Río Mamoré.
Is the Orinoco navigable?
The river is navigable for most of its length, and dredging enables ocean ships to go as far as Ciudad Bolívar, at the confluence of the Caroní River, 435 kilometres (270 mi) upstream.
Does Venezuela have crocodiles?
The Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) is a critically endangered crocodile. Its population is very small, and it can only be found in freshwater environments in Colombia and Venezuela (particularly the Orinoco river and its tributaries).
What does the word Orinoco mean?
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
Can you swim in Rio Negro?
When the waters of the Negro River recede, the beach can reach over 80 meters, but when the waters rise during the rainy season the beach is reduced to a 20 meter-width stretch of sand. Accessible by boat or land, Tupe Beach is a popular spot for catching some rays and playing in the dark waters of the Rio Negro.
Why is blackwater river Black?
A blackwater river is typically a slow-moving waterway flowing through forests, swamps, or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins seep into the ground water or drain into lakes and streams, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea.
Why is the water black in Brazil?
Black-water rivers derive entirely from soils of lowland forests, rich in leaves and other decaying organic matter. Water in these rivers has the color of weak tea, which appears black in images from space.
Which river is called King of waters?
The Amazon River (UK: /ˈæməzən/, US: /ˈæməzɒn/; Spanish: Río Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river in the world.
In what way is the Amazon the largest river in the world?
With more than 1,100 tributaries — 17 of which are over 930 miles (1,497 km) long — the Amazon River has the largest drainage system in the world. It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of all the water that runs on the Earth’s surface is carried by the Amazon River, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
What is the mouth of the Amazon river?
The Marajó várzea is the inundated land in and around the mouth of the Amazon River in eastern Brazil. The huge river, having completed its 6,500 km journey, empties into the Atlantic Ocean here. The mouth contains numerous islands. The largest is Ilha Marajó at 48,000 km2.
Why is the Amazon called the Amazon?
At the time, website listings were alphabetized, so he wanted a word that started with “A.” When he landed on the word “Amazon,” the name of the largest river on the planet, he decided that was the perfect name for what would become earth’s largest bookstore.