The Ireng River (or Maú River , generally used in Portuguese) forms part of Guyana 's western border with Brazil . It flows through the valleys of the Pakaraima Mountains for most of its length. It is the only major river in Guyana which flows from North to South, up to its confluence into the Takutu River . It is one of the northernmost tributaries of the Amazon River system.
23-682: The sources of the river are in the 116,748 hectares (288,490 acres) Monte Roraima National Park , created in 1989. The larger part of the Ireng River basin forms the frontier between Brazil and Guyana. Ireng's main tributaries are the Uailan and Canã rivers on the Brazilian side and the Cacó, Dacã and Socobi rivers on the Guyanese side. All of these rivers merge with the upper and middle sections of
46-481: A classification difficult and some consider it clearwater . Especially the river's upper parts at the headwaters are clear and flow through rocky country, leading to the suggestion that sediments mainly originate from the lower parts. Furthermore, its chemistry and color may contradict each other compared to the traditional Amazonian river classifications. The Branco River has pH 6–7 and low levels of dissolved organic carbon . Alfred Russel Wallace mentioned
69-407: Is 1,900 millimetres (75 in). The region has diverse landscapes that should help conserve biodiversity, although it is lacking space. It contains an 9,900 hectares (24,000 acres) area of savanna, 8.7% of the total area. This area includes forest, woodland, park and grassland. The forest includes plateau and montane ecosystems. The first has small patches of dense forest with emergent trees, while
92-620: Is broken by a bad series of rapids. Average, minimum and maximum discharge of the Branco River at near mouth. Period from 1998 to 2022. As suggested by its name, the Branco (literally "white" in Portuguese) has whitish water that may appear almost milky due to the inorganic sediments it carries. It is traditionally considered a whitewater river , although the major seasonal fluctuations in its physico-chemical characteristics makes
115-681: Is classed as IUCN protected area category II (national park). The objectives are preservation of natural ecosystems of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, and enabling scientific research, environmental education and interpretation, recreation in contact with nature and ecological tourism. As early as 1990 the countries that participate in the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty had recommended expanding Venezuela's Canaima National Park southward to connect it with Monte Roraima National Park, with coordinated management of tourism, research and conservation. The management plan
138-571: Is home to such reptile species as the Antilles leaf-toed gecko ( Hemidactylus palaichthus ) and rainbow whiptail ( Cnemidophorus lemniscatus ); amphibians such as the sapo dorado ( Bufo guttatus ) and Leptodactylus bolivianus ; birds including the Muscovy duck ( Cairina moschata ), black vulture ( Coragyps atratus ), crested caracara ( Caracara plancus ), double-striped thick-knee ( Burhinus bistriatus ) and numerous others; mammals include
161-544: Is in the Uiramutã municipality of the state of Roraima. It has an area of 116,747.80 hectares (288,490.1 acres). The park includes part of the Cotingo River basin, where plans have been made for a hydro-electric plant. The area has high potential for mining, agriculture, ranching and ecotourism, and has resulting tension between the strong Indian population and the ranchers and settlers. The park includes part of
184-752: Is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north. The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion. It is enriched by many streams from the Tepui highlands which separate Venezuela and Guyana from Brazil . Its two upper main tributaries are the Uraricoera and the Takutu . The latter almost links its sources with those of the Essequibo ; during floods headwaters of
207-827: The Pacaraima Mountains , which separate Brazil from Venezuela and Guyana. It is named after Mount Roraima , the highest of the Tepui mountains at almost 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and one of the highest of the Pacaraima chain. The mountain has a flat top that holds a monument, the Marco da Triplice Fronteira , where the borders of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil meet. Altitudes in the park range from 920 to 2,780 metres (3,020 to 9,120 ft) above sea level. The mountains typically have large, flat table tops fringed by steep and partially denuded cliffs, which are surrounded by broad pediments cut with ravines that merge into
230-645: The Rio Negro at the confluence of the two rivers. The Rio Negro is a blackwater river with dark tea-colored acidic water (pH 3.5–4.5) that contains high levels of dissolved organic carbon. Until approximately 20,000 years ago the headwaters of the Branco River flowed not into the Amazon, but via the Takutu Graben in the Rupununi area of Guyana towards the Caribbean. Currently in the rainy season much of
253-498: The South American tapir ( Tapirus terrestris ), jaguar ( Panthera onca ) and the red-rumped agouti ( Dasyprocta leporina ). 3°33′00″N 59°51′00″W / 3.550°N 59.850°W / 3.550; -59.850 Monte Roraima National Park Monte Roraima National Park ( Portuguese : Parque Nacional do Monte Roraima ) is a national park in the state of Roraima , northern Brazil . It includes
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#1732791394708276-555: The Branco and those of the Essequibo are connected, allowing a level of exchange in the aquatic fauna (such as fish) between the two systems. The Branco flows nearly south, and finds its way into the Negro through several channels and a chain of lagoons similar to those of the latter river. It is 350 miles (560 km) long, up to its Uraricoera confluence . It has numerous islands , and, 235 miles (378 km) above its mouth, it
299-473: The Brazilian section of Mount Roraima , and other mountains along the borders with Venezuela and Guyana , and a diverse environment including tropical rainforest and savanna. The park is fully contained within the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous territory, and has the dual role of conserving the environment and supporting the constitutional rights of the indigenous people. Monte Roraima National Park
322-485: The Ireng. Their courses are through breathtaking formations of sedimentary rocks formed by tectonic movements in ancient times. The Ireng River's waters are dark, bearing a striking resemblance to that of Rio Negro near Manaus , in Brazilian state of Amazonas . It is considered to be one of the most picturesque of Guyana's many rivers. Orinduik Falls and Takagka Falls are located on the Ireng River. Etymologically ,
345-659: The Maú or Ireng River , which forms the border between Brazil and Guyana, and the Uailan River near the Uailan mountains. The Cotingo and Maú rivers have continuous stretches of rapids and waterfalls, including the dramatic Garã Garã waterfall on the Maú. Monte Roraima National Park is in the Amazon biome . Temperatures range from 2 to 18 °C (36 to 64 °F) with an average of 10 °C (50 °F). Average annual rainfall
368-578: The boundaries of the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Territory were ratified and Monte Roraima National Park was made Union public property with the roles of both maintaining the constitutional rights of the Indians and conserving the environment. Branco River (Period: 1980-2006)5,300 m /s (190,000 cu ft/s) 3,170.343 m /s (111,959.6 cu ft/s) The Branco River ( Portuguese : Rio Branco ; Engl: White River )
391-538: The coloration in "On the Rio Negro", a paper read at the 13 June 1853 meeting of the Royal Geographical Society , in which he said: "[The Rio Branco] is white to a remarkable degree, its waters being actually milky in appearance". Alexander von Humboldt attributed the color to the presence of silicates in the water, principally mica and talc . There is a visible contrast with the waters of
414-416: The indigenous Ingarikó and Macushi people from the park. These people had used the area for many years for hunting, farming and religious practices. The conflict was hard to resolve, since de-gazetting the park would require a major legislative change, as would allowing the indigenous people to use the park. Due to land disputes and the movement to create the indigenous territory of Raposa Serra do Sol
437-589: The lower dissected reliefs of the Pacaraima range. The Serra do Sol range to the southeast has altitudes up to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The park contains the sources of the most northerly rivers that flow south into the Branco River basin. These include the Cotingo River , with its headwaters at the foot of Mount Roraima, the Panari River in the extreme north to the south of the Caburaí mountains,
460-465: The management plan was not ratified by ICMBio. From 2002 IBAMA technicians worked with the Ingarikó in the area. On 15 April 2005 the area was completely assigned to Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI: National Indian Foundation) through the "dual affectation" legal device created by the federal government with recognition of the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Territory. Under the decree of 15 April 2005
483-509: The second has dense forest with closed canopy on the slopes, open on the summits and flatter areas. There are various endemic species adapted to the harsh mountain climate where temperatures may range from 4 to 25 °C (39 to 77 °F) in a 24-hour period. Monte Roraima National Park was created by decree 97.887 of 28 June 1989, and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). It
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#1732791394708506-515: The term ″Ireng″ comes from the Karib language , whereas ″Maú″ comes from the Arawak language word Mahu , which is how the plant Sterculia pruriens (a malvaceae abundant in the Amazon ) is known to the indigenous people of the region. Another explanation suggests that Mahu comes from Mehru , which means "fall" and Ireng translates to "river", hence "river of the falls". The Ireng River region
529-653: Was finalised in May 2000. Due to lack of money the park still existed only on paper until 2001, when the United Nations provided money to implement and manage parks in Brazil. The indigenous people became concerned when the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) began to implement the management plan. This included erecting a headquarters building, and potentially removing
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