Grande River
Encyclopedia
The Grande River is river in south-central Brazil
. It rises in the Mantiqueira Mountains
in the state of Minas Gerais
and descends inland, west-northwestward. Its lower course marks a portion of the Minas Gerais-São Paulo
border. At the Mato Grosso do Sul
state border, after a course of 1090 km (677 mi), it joins the Paranaíba River
to form the Upper Paraná River
.
Major tributaries of the Rio Grande are:
The basin of the Rio Grande belongs to the Paraná River basin. It has a total area of 143 square kilometre, of which 86500 square kilometre are located within Minas Gerais, which is equivalent to 17.8% of the state territory. The basin of the Rio Grande is responsible for about 67% of all energy generated in the state.
The Grande is interrupted by several dam
s and reservoir
s; in the upper Grande the river forms Furnas Dam, then Peixotos Dam, and downstream, Água Comprida Dam and Água Vermelha Dam
.
The river plays a major role in production of electricity and, due to rapid
s and waterfall
s, and absence of locks, is only navigable by small craft in limited stretches. However the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
(a narrow gauge railway) operated a passenger and freight steam navigation service between 1889 and 1963. The EFOM met the Rio Grande at Ribeirão Vermelho
, from where the service ran down the river for 208 km (129 mi), as far as Capetina. There were six stations on the river between Ribeirão Vermelho and Capetinga, and the railway operated a fleet of 6 stern-wheel paddle steamer
s, together with barge
s and launch
es. The service was halted by the completion of the Furnas Dam.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It rises in the Mantiqueira Mountains
Mantiqueira Mountains
The Mantiqueira Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately , reaching a height of 2,798 m ...
in the state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
and descends inland, west-northwestward. Its lower course marks a portion of the Minas Gerais-São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
border. At the Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
state border, after a course of 1090 km (677 mi), it joins the Paranaíba River
Paranaíba River
The Paranaíba River is a Brazilian river whose source lies in the state of Minas Gerais in the Mata da Corda mountains, municipality of Rio Paranaíba, at an altitude of 1,148 meters; on the other face of this mountain chain are the sources of the Abaeté river, tributary of the São Francisco River...
to form the Upper Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
.
Major tributaries of the Rio Grande are:
- Aiuruoca riverAiuruoca River-See also:*List of rivers of Minas Gerais* ] map]* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
, whose source is in ItamonteItamonteItamonte is a city in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It has a population of 12,000.Itamonte is a touristic city in the Serra da Mantiqueira mountains. The territorial area is 430,597 km² big. The city's current mayor is Marcos Tridon de Carvalho, with Ana Ines Costa Silva Chaves being deputy...
; - Rio das MortesRio das MortesThe Rio das Mortes is a river of Mato Grosso state in western Brazil. It has a length of 278 km.-References:*...
, whose source lies between BarbacenaBarbacenaBarbacena is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2006, the municipality had 124,601 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788 km²....
and Nossa Senhora dos Remédios; - Jacaré RiverJacaré River-Brazil:* Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River * Jacaré River...
, whose source is in the Serra do Galba; - Sapucaí river, whose source is in the Mantiqueira MountainsMantiqueira MountainsThe Mantiqueira Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately , reaching a height of 2,798 m ...
in São Paulo; - Rio PardoRio PardoFor the Brazilian tribe, see Rio Pardo Rio Pardo is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Its coordinates are . The population in 2004 was 37,395, the area is 2187.5 km² The elevation is 41 m....
, whose source is in IpuiúnaIpuiúnaIpuiúna is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
.
The basin of the Rio Grande belongs to the Paraná River basin. It has a total area of 143 square kilometre, of which 86500 square kilometre are located within Minas Gerais, which is equivalent to 17.8% of the state territory. The basin of the Rio Grande is responsible for about 67% of all energy generated in the state.
The Grande is interrupted by several dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s and reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s; in the upper Grande the river forms Furnas Dam, then Peixotos Dam, and downstream, Água Comprida Dam and Água Vermelha Dam
Água Vermelha Dam
The Água Vermelha Dam is an embankment dam on the Grande River near Iturama in Minas Gerais/São Paulo, Brazil. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control. Construction on the dam began in 1973 and it was completed and operational by 1978...
.
The river plays a major role in production of electricity and, due to rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s and waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, and absence of locks, is only navigable by small craft in limited stretches. However the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
The Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas was a narrow gauge railway located in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. At its peak the railway's route totalled...
(a narrow gauge railway) operated a passenger and freight steam navigation service between 1889 and 1963. The EFOM met the Rio Grande at Ribeirão Vermelho
Ribeirão Vermelho
Ribeirão Vermelho is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Campo das Vertentes and to the microregion of Lavras.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...
, from where the service ran down the river for 208 km (129 mi), as far as Capetina. There were six stations on the river between Ribeirão Vermelho and Capetinga, and the railway operated a fleet of 6 stern-wheel paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
s, together with barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s and launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
es. The service was halted by the completion of the Furnas Dam.
See also
- Luiz Barreto (Estreito) DamLuiz Barreto DamThe Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho Dam, formerly known as Estreito, is an embankment dam on the Grande River near Fronteira in São Paulo, Brazil. The dam serves an associated hydroelectric power plant with a 1,050 MW installed capacity.-Background:...
- Marimbondo DamMarimbondo DamThe Marimbondo Dam is an embankment dam on the Grande River near Fronteira in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The dam serves an associated hydroelectric power plant with a 1,440 MW installed capacity.-Background:...
- Água Vermelha DamÁgua Vermelha DamThe Água Vermelha Dam is an embankment dam on the Grande River near Iturama in Minas Gerais/São Paulo, Brazil. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control. Construction on the dam began in 1973 and it was completed and operational by 1978...
- Furnas Dam
External links
- Rio Grande at Wikimapia, Google terrain view, centered on the site of the photo above