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24-683: The Humid Chaco lies in the lowlands of the Paraná river and its tributaries, including the Paraguay River . It is bounded on the west by the Dry Chaco , a semi-arid region of dry forests and savannas. The Alto Paraná Atlantic forests lie to the east, and the Cerrado grasslands to the northeast. It borders on some large flooded grasslands and savannas , including the Paraná flooded savanna along

48-603: A much-needed link to the Atlantic Ocean for the otherwise landlocked nations of Paraguay and Bolivia. It serves such important cities as Asunción and Concepción in Paraguay and Formosa in Argentina. The river is also a source of commerce in the form of fishing, and provides irrigation for agriculture along its route. As such it provides a way of life for a number of poor fishermen who live along its banks and make

72-583: A vast area that includes major portions of Argentina, southern Brazil, parts of Bolivia, and most of the country of Paraguay. Unlike many of the other great rivers of the Rio de la Plata Basin, the Paraguay has not been dammed for hydroelectric power generation; for this reason it is navigable for a considerable distance, second only to the Amazon River in terms of navigable length on the continent. This makes it an important shipping and trade corridor, providing

96-639: Is the world's largest tropical wetland and is largely dependent upon waters provided by the Paraguay River. Owing to its importance as a navigable waterway serving Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, the river has been the focus of commercial and industrial development. In 1997, the governments of the nations of the La Plata Basin proposed a plan under the Hidrovia Inter-Governmental Commission agency to develop

120-724: The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to its confluence with the Paraná River north of Corrientes and Resistencia . The Paraguay's source is south of Diamantino in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil. It follows a generally southwesterly course, passing through the Brazilian city of Cáceres . It then turns in a generally southward direction, flowing through the Pantanal wetlands, the city of Corumbá , then running close to

144-478: The greater rhea or ñandú ( Rhea americana ), undulated tinamou ( Crypturellus undulatus ), savanna hawk ( Buteogallus meridionalis ), and pale-crested woodpecker ( Celeus lugubris ). A 2017 assessment found that 35,949 km², or 12%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Chaco National Park , Río Pilcomayo National Park , and Mburucuyá National Park in Argentina, and Ypoá National Park in Paraguay. The Iberá Wetlands , located in

168-530: The Brazil-Bolivia border for a short distance in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul . From the city of Puerto Bahia Negra, Paraguay, the river forms the border between Paraguay and Brazil, flowing almost due south before the confluence with the Apa River . The Paraguay makes a long, gentle curve to the south-southeast before resuming a more south-southwesterly course, dividing

192-439: The Paraguay, Guaporé and Mamoré all have their source in the same region in central South America. Among the species shared between these are the black phantom tetra , an important fish in the aquarium industry, and the golden dorado , which is important in the fishing industry. [REDACTED] Media related to Río Paraguay at Wikimedia Commons Ypo%C3%A1 National Park Too Many Requests If you report this error to

216-464: The country of Paraguay into two distinct halves: the Gran Chaco region to the west, a largely uninhabited semi-arid region; and the eastern forested departments of the country, accounting for some 98% of the country's inhabitants. As such the river is considered perhaps the key geographical feature of the country with which it shares its name. Some 400 kilometres (250 mi) after flowing through

240-482: The first recorded European to discover both the Paraná and Paraguay rivers. For hundreds of years, this river has served as the main route of Paraguay to the outside world. Since that time, the river has had its vitality and importance, but is used today for a convoy of barges . The Paraguay River is the primary waterway of the 147,629-square-kilometre (57,000 sq mi) Pantanal wetlands of southern Brazil, northern Paraguay and parts of Bolivia. The Pantanal

264-499: The fish species in the river are characiforms (tetras and allies) and siluriforms (catfish). Several of these migrate up the Paraguay River to spawn, including Prochilodus lineatus and Pseudoplatystoma corruscans . Unsurprisingly many species in the river are essentially of Paraná River Basin origin, but the fauna also has a connection with two Amazonian rivers, the Guaporé and Mamoré . While flowing in different directions,

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288-521: The flood season in the Paraguay River (measured at Corumbá ) is delayed 4–6 months compared to the peak of the rainy season due to the slow passage of water through the Pantanal wetlands. There are significant temperature variations depending on the season. During the low-water season, the water of the Paraguay River is relatively warm (typically above 27 °C or 81 °F) and clouded ( Secchi depth typically less than 32 cm or 13 in), but in

312-493: The flood season it is colder (typically 18–26.3 °C or 64.4–79.3 °F) and clearer (Secchi depth typically 26–130 cm or 10–51 in). The upper part of the Paraguay River is warmer than the lower and generally its temperature does not fall below 22.5 °C (72.5 °F), although some upper Paraguay tributaries may fall below this. The Paraguay River ecoregion has high species richness with about 350 fish species, including more than 80 endemics . About 80% of

336-411: The inflow of Bermejo, but rises to about 600 milligrams per litre (2.2 × 10  lb/cu in) after. Directly after the inflow of Bermejo River, the pH of the Paraguay River may reach up to 8.2. The typical pH of the Paraguay River is 5.8—7.4 in the upper part (defined as the section before the inflow of the first non-Pantanal tributary , the Apa River ) and 6.3—7.9 in the lower part. The peak of

360-485: The lower Paraná and Paraguay rivers, the Pantanal to the north, and the Southern Cone Mesopotamian savanna to the southeast between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. The topography is generally flat or gently rising, and the soils are mostly fine alluvium deposited by the area's rivers. Asuncion , Paraguay's capital, lies in the ecoregion. The climate is tropical, becoming subtropical towards

384-440: The majority of their income selling fish in local markets, as well as supplying a major source of sustenance for their families. This has created issues in large cities such as Asunción, where poverty-stricken farmers from the country's interior have populated the river's banks in search of an easier lifestyle. Seasonal flooding of the river's banks sometimes forces many thousands of displaced residents to seek temporary shelter until

408-738: The middle of Paraguay, at the confluence with the Pilcomayo River and passing the Paraguayan capital city, Asunción , the river forms the border with Argentina, flowing generally south-southwesterly for another 275 kilometres (171 mi) before it reaches its end, joining with the Paraná River. The Paraguay River is the second major river of the Rio de la Plata Basin , after the Paraná River. The Paraguay's drainage basin , about 1,095,000 square kilometres (423,000 sq mi), covers

432-1146: The palm Copernicia alba . The most common trees in the forests are quebracho colorado ( Schinopsis balansae ) and quebracho blanco ( Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco ), together with guayacán ( Caesalpinia paraguariensis ), espina corona ( Gleditsia amorphoides ), urunday ( Myracrodruon balansae ), viraró ( Ruprechtia laxiflora ), palo piedra ( Diplokeleba floribunda ), guayaibí ( Patagonula americana ), zapallo caspini ( Pisonia zapallo ), lapacho negro ( Tabebuia ipe ), palo borracho del flor rosada ( Chorisia speciosa ), and itin ( Prosopis kuntzei ). Native mammals include puma ( Puma concolor ), jaguar ( Panthera onca ), maned wolf ( Chrysocyon brachyurus ), red brocket ( Mazama americana ), gray brocket ( Mazama gouazoubira ), marsh deer ( Blastocerus dichotomus ), pampas deer ( Ozotoceros bezoarticus ), White-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari ), collared peccary ( Tayassu tajacu ), giant anteater ( Mymercophaga tridactyla ), capybara ( Hydrochaerys hydrochaeris ), black howler monkey ( Alouatta caraya ), and Azara’s night monkey ( Aotus azarae ). Birds species include

456-456: The project will have a disastrous effect on the local ecology, as well as the potential economic gains, continues to this day. The Paraguay River basin includes several distinctive habitats, ranging from very clear waters such as Rio da Prata ( pt ) near Bonito in the upper part to the sediment-rich Bermejo River in the lower part. The suspended load of the Paraguay River is about 100 milligrams per litre (3.6 × 10  lb/cu in) before

480-527: The proposed river engineering of the Paraguay would have a devastating impact on the Pantanal wetlands. An effort by the Rios Vivos coalition to educate people on the effects of the project was successful in delaying the project, and the nations involved agreed to reformulate their plan. The final plan is still uncertain, along with the effect it will have on the Pantanal and the ecology of the entire Río de la Plata basin. The controversy over whether or not

504-512: The rivers into an industrial waterway system to help reduce the costs of exporting goods from the area, in particular the soybean crop that the area has embraced. The plan entailed constructing more hydroelectric dams along some of the waterways, along with a massive effort to restructure the navigable waterways—most notably the Paraguay River—through dredging of the waterway, rock removal and channel restructuring. Studies indicated that

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528-690: The south. Average annual rainfall generally decreases towards the west, and ranges from 1,300 mm in the wetter eastern portions to 750 mm in the west near the transition to the Dry Chaco. Rainfall is highest in the summer months (January to April) and lowest in the winter months (June to August). The flora is a mosaic of grassland, savanna, forests, and bogs. Grasslands and savannas are generally found on higher ground, and forests along streams and in river floodplains. Bogs form seasonally or year-round over impermeable soil layers. Grasslands are characterized by tall, coarse grass. Palm savannas are common, including

552-712: The southeast of the ecoregion adjacent to the Southern Cone Mesopotamian savanna , are protected by Argentina's Iberá Provincial Reserve and Iberá National Park . Paraguay River 4,550 m /s (161,000 cu ft/s) The Paraguay River ( Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani , Rio Paraguai in Portuguese , Río Paraguay in Spanish ) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil , Bolivia , Paraguay and Argentina . It flows about 2,695 kilometres (1,675 mi) from its headwaters in

576-415: The waters recede from their homes. The Paraguayan military has been forced to dedicate land on one of its reserves in the capital to emergency housing for these displaced citizens. The river is a tourist attraction for its beauty. The original inhabitants of the upper Paraguay River were the Guarani peoples . The Paraguay River was explored in the 16th century by Sebastian Cabot , who at that time became

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