Uruguay ( Spanish Río Uruguay ) is a river in South America .
| Uruguay | |
|---|---|
| isp. Rio uruguay | |
 Sunset on Uruguay | |
| Characteristic | |
| Length | 1600 km |
| Pool | 365,000 km² |
| Water flow | 5500 [1] m³ / s |
| Watercourse | |
| Source | River confluence: Pelotas and Canoas |
| • Height | 1800 m |
| • Coordinates | |
| Mouth | La Plata |
| • Coordinates | |
| Location | |
| Water system | La Plata → Atlantic Ocean |
| Country |
|
The river begins in Brazil , forming at an altitude of 1800 m the confluence of the rivers Pelotas and Canoas , then the river flows from north to south, forming the border between Brazil and Uruguay , located on the left bank, and Argentina , located on the right. It falls into the estuary of the Parana River (called La Plata ).
The name of the river comes from the language of the Guarani Indians and is translated as “the river of colorful birds”.
The length is about 1600 [2] km (together with the river Pelotas 2,200 km), the basin area is 365 thousand [1] km². In its mouth reaches a width of 12 km.
The main tributaries are the Ibikui and the Rio Negro .
The river is full of rapids upstream to the city of Salto , where it breaks through a rocky ridge. Below the Salto, the river is navigable [3] . Main ports: Concordia ( Argentina ), Salto, Paysandu , Fray Bentos ( Uruguay ). The Uruguay River system is used not only as the main source of the country's water supply, but also for the needs of hydropower . The largest hydroelectric station on the river is the Argentine-Uruguayan . Two major hydroelectric power plants, the Rincón del Bonete and the Rincón del Baygorria, have also been built on the Rio Negro, the main tributary of the Uruguay River.
See also
- Laplatskaya lowland
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 (English) Varis, Olli. Management of Transboundary Rivers and Lakes / Olli Varis, Cecilia Tortajada, Asit K. Biswas. - Springer, 2008. - P. 272. - ISBN 9783540749264 .
- ↑ (eng.) Río de la Plata . Encyclopædia Britannica . The appeal date is August 14, 2010. Archived on February 5, 2012.
- “Countries and Nations: South America”, Moscow, “Thought”, 1983, p. 212