Itaipú Hydroelectric Power Project, Brazil and Paraguay | Building the World. Itaipu dam, from the US Geological Survey at usgs.gov. Nature resides in regions, not countries. Can Brazil and Paraguay set an example by sharing of the Paraná River through Itaipú? Taller than a 55-story building, the hydroelectric power plant was designated as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
Iron and steel used in the project would have built 380 Eiffel Towers. Itaipú inspired the American composer, Philip Glass, to create a opera of the same name, using the language of the indigenous Guarani people in whose tongue the word means “singing stone.” Map of Itaipu’s location, from bbc.co.uk. Brazil and Paraguay share a river and now a hydroelectric powerhouse built by the two countries as a joint undertaking.
The treaty created a bi-national entity with several stipulations including: However, animal life was protected because one stated purpose of the project was to provide drinking water for cattle. Document of Authorization Chapter I. Article 1. Article 2. Article 3. Delta Alliance - Parana. The Paraná River is considered the third largest river in the American Continent, after the Mississippi in the United States and the Amazonas in Brazil. It is located in South America and it runs through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, where it flows into another river called Río de la Plata.
The two initial tributaries of the Paraná are the Paranaiba River and the Grande River, both in Brazil, but the most important tributary is the Paraguay River, located in homonymous country. Through the Parana Delta and the Rio de la Plata estuary drains to the Atlantic Ocean the second major hydrographic basin of South America (La Plata Basin). From a geologic perspective, the complex system of the delta and the estuary are considered a dynamic sedimentary geologic-hydrologic unit which has a vital relevance not only for the region -a high populated area with more than 22 million inhabitants- but also for the hydrology of South American continent.
Sources Zagare, V. (2010). General characteristics. Dorado, Pirá Pita & Pacú Fly Fishing | Alto Parana Lodge - Nervous Waters. Welcome to Alto Paraná Lodge! Alto Paraná Lodge is one of the most emblematic “estancias” in Corrientes Province and hosts anglers in the search of diversity, challenge, and adrenaline.
The Upper Paraná is a large system, featuring dorado, pira pita, and chances for pacu on the fly. The operation is located in the clearest section of this legendary river. Being the main artery in the basin, supersized dorados are a possibility anytime. It’s also the most productive section of the Paraná for pacu and pira pita (both silver and yellow)—pound-for-pound one of the strongest freshwater species. Our skiffs have been specifically designed for this type of fishing. First class guides and equipment and nature in abundance round out one of the most dynamic Dorado programs offered in Argentina.
Location Alto Paraná lodge is based out of a traditional northern Argentinean tropical estancia located in Corrientes province by the legendary Paraná River. The Fishing Species Dorado Pacu Pira Pita Accommodations. Paraná River. Paraná River Floodplain, Northern Argentina. The Paraná River is South America’s second largest, and the river and its tributaries are important transportation routes for landlocked cities in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil. This astronaut photograph shows a 29-kilometer (18 mile) stretch of the Paraná, downstream of the small city of Goya, Argentina (just off the top left of the image).
The Paraná River ranges up to 3 kilometers wide along the reach illustrated in this image. The main channel is deep enough to allow smaller ocean-going ships to pass north to the capital city of Asunción, Paraguay, fully 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) inland and well out of the image. The river’s dark brown shading indicates a heavy load of muddy sediment; smaller side channels also carry this mud. Numerous lakes are typical on active floodplains, and appear here as irregular bodies of water. Some appear brown, indicating that they probably have been refilled during recent rises and floods of the active channels. Instrument(s): The Paraguay-Paraná River System. Coursing through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, the Paraguay and Paraná rivers provide water and energy for South America's largest city, São Paulo; flood the world's largest wetland, the Pantanal; and thunder over the world's second-largest waterfall, Iguaçu Falls.
One hundred million people depend on the waters of these hardworking rivers for food, water, energy and transportation. The life cycles of plants and animals in the Pantanal and other wild South American landscapes have evolved to match the rivers' flow rates and sedimentation patterns. Even local businesses and the national incomes of five countries rely on these rivers to irrigate crops, generate energy and attract tourists. The Threats The Paraguay-Paraná river system covers nearly one million square miles — an area larger than all of Greenland. Farming Water South America's largest city, São Paulo, is faced with the difficult task of supporting a growing population with dwindling water resources.
Upper Amazon River Cruise Tour. The Amazon River. The Amazon River Coming a close second after the Nile as the world’s longest river, the Amazon River sets the record in terms of the sheer volume of water that it carries – a mind-boggling average discharge of 219,000 m3/sec of water.2 It is estimated that approximately one-sixth of all fresh water that drains into the world's oceans goes through the 320-km-wide delt of the Amazon, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. As the seasons change, so does the river. During the dry season, the width of the Amazon River can be 4 km to 5 km in places – and in the wet season, this can increase to 50 km! At the height of the wet season, the current can reach a speed of 7 km/hr. Major roles of the Amazon RiverAs the drainage system of the Amazon Basin, the Amazon River and its approximately 1,100 tributaries play major roles in the ecology of the basin.
For example, the only way you can get to Iquitos, Peru, which is right on the Amazon River, is to board a plane or a boat. Amazon River | Greatest River. Home > Earth > Earth Records > Greatest River World's Greatest River: The Amazon The Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width. It is one of the longest rivers in the world and, depending upon who you talk to, is anywhere between 6,259km/3,903mi and 6,712km/4,195mi long. For the last century the length of the Amazon and the Nile Rivers have been in a tight battle for title of world's longest river. At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent (approx. 40% landmass), including all the torrential tropical rains that deluge the rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water.
Meet Dr. The Amazon - Home of Extremes of the natural world. Amazon River Facts. Rivers of Life: River Profile - The Amazon. Amazon River Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts about the Amazon River. Discover Galapagos - A Travel Guide to Galapagos Tours, Hotels, Boats, Galapagos Cruises, cruise ships and Yacht Charters in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - Cruise Discounts. Galapagos Islands Cruise Tour. Galapagos Islands Map / Geography of Galapagos Islands / Map of Galapagos Islands. Sitting right atop the Equator, approximately 600 miles directly west of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands had no original inhabitants. They were discovered in 1535 by Tomas de Berlanga, the Spanish Bishop of Panama, when his ship drifted by the islands. The Galapagos Islands first appeared on maps in the late 16th century, and were named "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of the Tortoises) in reference to the giant tortoises found there.
The first navigation chart of the Galapagos islands was done by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684, and he reportedly named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates, as well as European nobility. Until the early 19th century the islands were used as a hideout by pirates who pilfered Spanish galleons carrying gold and silver from South America, back to Spain. Consequently, thousands of the Galapagos tortoises were captured and kept on board whale ships as a means of providing of fresh protein.
Galapagos Conservancy. The Galápagos Islands. The Mystery of Easter Island | People & Places. Hundreds of years ago, a small group of Polynesians rowed their wooden outrigger canoes across vast stretches of open sea, navigating by the evening stars and the day's ocean swells. When and why these people left their native land remains a mystery. But what is clear is that they made a small, uninhabited island with rolling hills and a lush carpet of palm trees their new home, eventually naming their 63 square miles of paradise Rapa Nui—now popularly known as Easter Island. On this outpost nearly 2,300 miles west of South America and 1,100 miles from the nearest island, the newcomers chiseled away at volcanic stone, carving moai, monolithic statues built to honor their ancestors.
They moved the mammoth blocks of stone—on average 13 feet tall and 14 tons—to different ceremonial structures around the island, a feat that required several days and many men. Eventually the giant palms that the Rapanui depended on dwindled. Hunt's findings caused a stir among Easter Island scientists. Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Mysterious Places: Explore Easter Island in words and pictures. Easter Island - Faces of Mystery The Story • Island Tour • Controversies • Easter Island Books and Travel Info It is one of the most isolated islands in the world but 1200 years ago a double-hulled canoe filled with seafarers from a distant culture landed upon its shores.
Over the centuries that followed a remarkable society developed in isolation on the island. For reasons still unknown they began carving giant statues out of volcanic rock. These monuments, known, as "moai" are some of the most incredible ancient relics ever discovered. Explore this site to get the latest information on the island's history and current research. The Story • Island Tour • Controversies • Easter Island Books and Travel Info. Easter Island -- World Heritage Site. Site: Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island) Location: Chile Year Designated: 1995 Category: Cultural Criteria: (i)(iii)(v) Reason: Easter Island’s silent stone figures are a monument to the seafaring skills and unique culture of ancient Polynesian peoples.
Rapa Nui’s mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. A Polynesian society blossomed in this unlikely locale after hardy souls somehow navigated a fleet of wooden outrigger canoes to this tiny speck in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. It is generally thought that the Rapa Nui’s demise resulted from an environmental catastrophe of their own making. It’s not clear when the islands were first settled; estimates range from A.D. 800 to 1200. Either way, loss of the trees exposed the island’s rich volcanic soils to serious erosion. Today’s tourists are numerous, and most visit the Rano Raraku quarry, which yielded the stones used for almost all of the island’s moai. How to Get There. Iguazú Falls, Argentina: Iguazu Waterfall, World Wonder of Nature. Tours and Activities: TwitterFacebookEduardo Epifanio Together with Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia, it is one of the most frequented tourist sites.
In guarani language, the term "Iguazú" means "great waters". It was discovered in 1541 by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established in 1984 as Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Situated in Iguazú National Park, some 20 km. from Puerto Iguazú in the north of the province, these falls are shared by Brazil and Argentina. This river runs through a smooth geography until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m. canyon in the Devil's Throat where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river. A legend says that a big snake called "Boi" lived in the river. Walking on the footbridge There are more than 270 falls in an area where cliffs and islets are scattered in a half moon. The lower path leads to the base of the falls, where the spray moistens visitors. Wild Adventure.
Iguazu National Park. Iguazu National Park The semicircular waterfall at the heart of this site is some 80 m high and 2,700 m in diameter and is situated on a basaltic line spanning the border between Argentina and Brazil. Made up of many cascades producing vast sprays of water, it is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The surrounding subtropical rainforest has over 2,000 species of vascular plants and is home to the typical wildlife of the region: tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans. Parc national de l'Iguazu Haute de 80 m et longue de 2 700 m sur un front basaltique enjambant la frontière entre l’Argentine et le Brésil, la cataracte en semi-cercle au cœur de ce site est l’une des plus spectaculaires du monde.
منتزه إيغوازو الوطني يُعتبر الشلال بشكله نصف الدائري الذي يقع في قلب هذا الموقع أحد الأروع في العالم. Source: UNESCO/ERI 伊瓜苏国家公园 该公园中心是一个半圆形瀑布群，高约80米，直径达2700米，处于玄武岩地带，横跨阿根廷与巴西两国边界。 Национальный парк Игуасу Parque nacional del Iguazú Nationaal park Iguazú. Iguazu Argentina – Portal de las Cataratas del Iguazú. Snowboarding and Skiing The Andes Mountains, Volcanos, and Snow. Andes Mountain Guides. Landforms of South America, Mountain Ranges of South America, Rivers of South America. Amazon Basin: The Amazon Basin (Amazonia) is covered by the largest tropical rain forest in the world, and running through its heart is the Amazon River and its more than 1,000 tributaries, seven of them more than 1,000 miles in length.
Measurable rain falls on an average of 200 days a year here, and total rainfall often approaches 100 inches per year. The basin drains over 2,700,000 sq. miles, and covers about one-third of South America. Rising high in the Andes, the river's network irrigates almost half of the continent, and in terms of volume of water discharged into an ocean... it's the largest in the world. Andes Mountains: This toothy-edged mountain system, some 4,500 miles (7,240 km) in length, extends from the southern tip of South America all the way to Panama. It's the source of most major rivers on the continent, and its many ranges include dozens of peaks that reach over 20,000 ft; the highest point being Aconcagua in Argentina, at 22,384 ft. (6,960m). Landforms continued...
The Andes. The Andes Mountains are the longest mountain chain in the world. They stretch along the entire west coast of South America from Cape Horn to Panama, a distance of 4,500 miles. Only the Himalaya Mountains and their adjacent ranges such as the Hindu Kush are higher than the Andes range. Many Andean peaks rise over 20,000 feet (6,096 m.). It is about 500 miles across the widest part of the range. In Spanish, they are called Cordillera de los Andes, which means Andes Mountain Range. The southern Andes are less than 10,000 feet (3.048 m.) in elevation near the southern tip of the continent. The Central Andes form the broadest part of the mountain system. The Northern Andes have three ranges of mountains, and most are lower than the mountains to the south.
Many of these high mountains are volcanoes. The main tributaries of the mighty Amazon River begin on the eastern slopes. The name ANDES is believed to have come from ANTI, the Quechuan word for copper. HomeDisclaimer. Andes: World’s Longest Mountain Range. Andes Mountain Range.