Río de la Plata Basin

The Río de la Plata basin (Spanish: Cuenca del Plata, Portuguese: Bacia do Prata), more often called the River Plate basin in scholarly writings, sometimes called the Platine basin or Platine region, is a huge area in South America that drains to the Río de la Plata. It covers 3,170,000 square kilometres and includes parts of southeastern Bolivia, southern and central Brazil, the entire country of Paraguay, most of Uruguay, and northern Argentina. This basin makes up about one fourth of the continent's surface.

It is the second largest drainage basin in South America (after the Amazon basin) and one of the largest in the world. The main rivers of the La Plata basin are the Paraná River, the Paraguay River (the Paraná's main tributary), and the Uruguay River. These rivers help shape the landscape and support many people living around them.

Geography

The La Plata basin is surrounded by the Brazilian Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountains to the west, and Patagonia to the south. It stretches northward for about 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi), reaching as far as Brasília and Cuiabá in Brazil and Sucre in Bolivia. The Paraná River, the largest river flowing into La Plata, is one of the longest rivers in South America and the world.

The basin covers parts or all of several places including Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil; Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija in Bolivia; the whole country of Paraguay; western and central departments of Uruguay; and many provinces in Argentina such as Jujuy, Salta, Formosa, Chaco, Misiones, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Corrientes, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, and La Pampa.

Hydrology

Rainwater in this area flows into many rivers, which all eventually reach the Río de la Plata. Most of this water comes through the Paraná River, the Paraguay River, and the Uruguay River, which are the main rivers that join the Río de la Plata.

This area also helps fill the Guarani Aquifer, one of the largest underground water stores in the world. The rivers carry a lot of mud into the Río de la Plata each year, and strong winds and ocean tides stir up this mud. To keep the water clear for ships traveling to cities like Buenos Aires, people have to clear the mud out regularly.

Tributaries

Further information: List of tributaries of the Río de la Plata

The Paraná River gets water from many smaller rivers, like the Paranaíba River, Grande River, Tietê River, Paranapanema River, Iguazu River, and the Salado River. It ends in a big area called the Paraná Delta. The Paraguay River flows through a large wet area called the Pantanal and gets water from the Pilcomayo River and the Bermejo River before joining the Paraná River. The Uruguay River gets water from rivers such as the Pelotas River, Canoas River, Ibicuí River, and the Río Negro. Another important river that joins the Río de la Plata is the Salado del Sur River.

History

The Río de la Plata Basin has seen many conflicts throughout the history of South America. Many of these conflicts happened because the area was a border region between the lands ruled by Portugal and the lands ruled by Spain. Because of this, many wars happened in the 1800s over who would control the land.

Explorer Sebastian Cabot studied the Río de la Plata and its rivers between 1526 and 1529. He gave the river its modern name and explored the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. He also explored the Paraguay River and traded with the Guaraní people near what is now Asunción.

The first European town in this area was Buenos Aires, founded in 1536. It was later abandoned but refounded in 1580. During the 1700s, the area became more important when Portugal and Britain tried to expand into the region. In 1776, the Spanish created a new government area called the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with Buenos Aires as its capital.

In the early 1800s, after Spain and Portugal lost control of their colonies, many wars happened over land and trade rights. These included the Argentine Civil Wars, the Cisplatine and Platine wars, and the Paraguayan War.

Main article: Mercosur Waterways diplomatic crisis

Economic features

Dams

The Río de la Plata basin has many important dams that help provide power. One of the biggest is Itaipu, shared by Paraguay and Brazil on the Paraná River. Other notable dams include Ilha Solteira Dam in Brazil, Yacyretá Dam shared by Paraguay and Argentina, and Itumbiara Dam in Brazil on the Paranaíba River.

There are also several dams on the Paranaíba River in Brazil, such as Emborcação and São Simão. More dams exist on the Paraná River, like Engineer Souza Dias and Engineer Sérgio Motta.

On the Grande River in Brazil, there are dams including Água Vermelha, Furnas, and Peixoto. The Iguazu River in Brazil has several power plants, such as Bento Munhoz and Ney Braga. The Uruguay River has the Salto Grande Dam, shared by Uruguay and Argentina, and the Itá Hydroelectric Power Plant in Brazil.

In Uruguay on the Negro River, there are dams like Rincon del Bonete and Baygorria.

Regional culture

The area around the lower Río de la Plata speaks a special kind of Spanish called Rioplatense Spanish, named after the river. This region is also where the tango dance and music began.

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