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Rio Negro (Amazon)
For other uses see: Rio Negro (disambiguation)
Rio Negro is the largest left tributary of the Amazon and the largest blackwater river in the world. It has its sources along the watershed between the Orinoco and the Amazon basins, and also connects with the Orinoco by way of the Casiquiare canal. In Colombia, where their sources are, it is called the Guainia River. Its main affluent is Vaupes, which disputes with the headwaters of the Guaviare branch of the Orinoco, the drainage of the eastern slope of the Andes of Colombia. The Rio Negro flows into the Rio Solimoes to form the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil.
Rio Negro is navigable for above its mouth for of water in the dry season, but it has many sandbanks and minor difficulties.
In the wet season, it overflows the country far and wide, sometimes to a breadth of , for long distances, and for up. During this time, from April until October, it is a succession of lagoons, full of long islands and intricate channels as far as Santa Isabel do Rio Negro. The foothills of the Andes begin just before reaching the Vaupes River. At this point, the Negro narrows and is filled with many large rocks over which it violently flows in cataracts, rapids and whirlpools. Despite the impediments, canoes and motor launches ascend past Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira to the Andes.
While the name Rio Negro means Black River, its waters aren't exactly black; they are similar in color to tea. This dark color comes from leaves and humus it collects from the tree lined banks. These suspended particles give the river its tea-like appearance. The name arises from the fact that it looks black from afar.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Rio Negro (Amazon)
