Guaporé River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guaporé River |
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Rio Guaporé at Pontes e Lacerda (Brazil)
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Map of the Amazon Basin with the Guaporé River highlighted
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| Other name(s) | Iténez River |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Parecis plateau Mato Grosso, Brazil 631 m (2,070 ft) 14°35′58″S 58°57′11″W / 14.59944°S 58.95306°W |
| River mouth | Mamoré River Brazil/Bolivia 131 m (430 ft) 11°53′15″S 65°1′53″W / 11.88750°S 65.03139°W |
| Length | 1,260 km (780 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 341,000 km2 (132,000 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
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The Guaporé River (also called Rio Guaporé in Portuguese and Río Iténez in Spanish) is a long river in South America. It flows through western Brazil and northeastern Bolivia. This river is about 1,260 kilometers (783 miles) long. A big part of it, about 920 kilometers (572 miles), actually forms the natural border between Brazil and Bolivia.
Where the River Flows
The Guaporé River is an important part of the Madeira River system. The Madeira River eventually flows into the mighty Amazon River. So, the Guaporé River's water ends up in the Amazon!
The river also flows through the eastern part of a grassy area called the Beni savanna. It also forms the edge of a special protected area known as the Guaporé Biological Reserve. Many smaller rivers, like the São Miguel, Branco, São Simão, Massaco, and Colorado, flow into the Guaporé River from this reserve.
Amazing Fish in the Guaporé
The Guaporé River basin is home to many different types of fish. Scientists have found about 260 different fish species here! About 25 of these fish are endemic, which means they are found only in the Guaporé River basin and nowhere else in the world.
Many of the fish species in the Guaporé are similar to those found in the wider Amazon Basin. But what's really cool is that the fish in the Guaporé also have a connection to the Paraguay River. Even though these two rivers flow in different directions, they both start in the same place: the Parecis plateau in Brazil.
Because of this connection, some fish species are found in both the Guaporé and Paraguay rivers. Two examples are the black phantom tetra and the golden dorado. The black phantom tetra is a popular fish for home aquariums. The golden dorado is a large, shiny fish that is very important for fishing.
See also
In Spanish: Río Iténez para niños
- Mamoré–Guaporé linguistic area
