Rio Madeira
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The Madeira River ( ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
, accounting for about 15% of the water in the basin. A map from
Emanuel Bowen Emanuel Bowen (1694 – 8 May 1767) was a Welsh map engraver, who achieved the unique distinction of becoming Royal Mapmaker to both to King George II of Great Britain and Louis XV of France. Bowen was highly regarded by his contemporaries f ...
in 1747, held by the
David Rumsey Map Collection The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection is a large private map collection with over 150,000 maps and cartographic items. The collection was created by David Rumsey who, after making his fortune in real estate, focused initially on collecting ...
, refers to the Madeira by the pre-colonial, indigenous name Cuyari.
The River of Cuyari, called by the Portuguese Madeira or the Wood River, is formed by two great rivers, which join near its mouth. It was by this River, that the Nation of Topinambes passed into the River Amazon.


Climate

The mean inter-annual precipitations on the great basins vary from , the entire upper Madeira basin receiving . The greatest extremes of rainfall are between . Even just below the confluence that forms it, the Madeira is one of the largest rivers by discharge of the world, with a mean inter-annual discharge of , i.e., per year, approximately half the discharge of the
Congo River The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...
. On the further course towards the Amazon, the mean discharge of the Madeira increases up to .


Course

Between
Guajará-Mirim Guajará-Mirim is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. It is located at an altitude of 128 meters. Its population was 46,556 (2020) and its area is 24,856 km². Geography Location Guajará-Mirim lies along the Mamoré River, ...
and the falls of Teotônio, the Madeira receives the drainage of the north-eastern slopes of the
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
from
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; ), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), Pirai River in the eastern Tropical ...
to
Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...
, the whole of the south-western slope of Brazilian
Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
and the northern slope of the Chiquitos sierras. In total, this catchment area, which is slightly more than the combined area of all headwaters, is ,Water and Salt Balances of the Bolivian Amazon
UNESCO
almost equal in size to France and Spain combined. The waters flow into the Madeira from many large rivers, the principal of which, (from east to west), are the Guaporé or Iténez, the
Baures Baures is a village in Iténez Province, Beni Department, in northern Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, includin ...
and
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, the Itonamas or San Miguel, the Mamoré, Beni, and Madre de Dios or Mayutata, all of which are reinforced by numerous secondary but powerful affluents. The climate of the upper catchment area varies from humid in the western edge with the origin of the river's main stem by volume (Río Madre de Dios, Río Beni) to semi arid in the southernmost part with the Andine
headwaters The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...
of the main stem by length ( Río Caine, Río Rocha,
Río Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Me ...
, Mamoré). All of the upper branches of the river Madeira find their way to the falls across the open, almost level Mojos and Beni plains, of which are yearly flooded to an average depth of about for a period of from three to four months. From its source in the confluence of Madre de Dios and Mamoré rivers and downstream to
Abuna River The Abuna River (, ) is a river in South America. As a part of the Amazon Basin, it forms part of the border between northern Bolivia and north-western Brazil. The river has a total length of . It originates in several streams east of the Cordil ...
the Madeira flows northward forming border between Bolivia and Brazil. Below its confluence with the latter tributary the flow of river changes to north-eastward direction, inland of
Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...
state of Brazil. The section of the river from the border to
Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
has notable drop of bed and was not navigable. Before 2012 the falls of Teotônio and of San Antônio existed here, they had higher flow rate and bigger level drop than more famous
Boyoma Falls Boyoma Falls (, , ), formerly known as Stanley Falls ( French: ''Chutes Stanley''; Dutch: ''Stanleywatervallen''), is a series of seven cataracts, each no more than high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the ...
in Africa. Currently these rapids are submerged by the reservoir of
Santo Antônio Dam The Santo Antônio Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Madeira River southwest of Porto Velho in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. The dam's run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station has 50 turbines, each rated at 71.6 MW resulting in a total inst ...
. Below
Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
the Madeira meanders north-eastward through the Rondônia and Amazonas states of north west Brazil to its junction with the
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
. The
Rio Madeira Sustainable Development Reserve The Rio Madeira Sustainable Development Reserve () is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Location The Rio Madeira Sustainable Development Reserve is divided between the municipalities of Manicoré (15.22%), Bo ...
, created in 2006, extends along the north bank of the river opposite the town of
Novo Aripuanã Novo Aripuanã is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. History The region was originally inhabited by the Toras, Barés, Muras, Urupás, Araras and other indigenous peoples. The first records of European penetration to ...
. At its mouth is Ilha Tupinambaranas, an extensive marshy region formed by the Madeira's distributaries.


Navigation

The Madeira river rises more than during the
rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...
, and ocean vessels may ascend it to the Falls of San Antonio, near
Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
, Brazil, above its mouth; but in the dry months, from June to November, it is only navigable for the same distance for craft drawing about of water. The
Madeira-Mamoré Railroad The Madeira-Mamoré Railroad is an abandoned railroad built in the Brazilian state of Rondônia between 1907 and 1912, during the rubber boom. The railroad links the cities of Porto Velho and Guajará-Mirim. It became known as the "Devil's Railro ...
runs in a loop around the unnavigable section to
Guajará-Mirim Guajará-Mirim is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. It is located at an altitude of 128 meters. Its population was 46,556 (2020) and its area is 24,856 km². Geography Location Guajará-Mirim lies along the Mamoré River, ...
on the Mamoré River, but is not functional, limiting shipping from the Atlantic at Porto Velho. Today, it is also one of the
Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...
's most active waterways, and helps export close to four million tons of grains, which are loaded onto barges in
Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
, where both
Cargill Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...
and Amaggi have loading facilities, and then shipped down the Madeira to the ports of
Itacoatiara Itacoatiara is one of the 48 official neighborhoods into which the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is divided. Beach Itacoatiara beach is located about 30 minutes east of downtown Niterói by car, or one hour by bus. Itacoatiara ...
, near the mouth of the Madeira, just upstream on the left bank of the Amazon, or further down the Amazon, to the port of Santarem, at the mouth of the Tapajos River. From these two ports,
Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
-type ships then export the grains - mainly soy and corn - to Europe and Asia. The Madeira waterway is also used to take fuel from the REMAN refinery (
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by and Trade name, trading as the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a Brazilian state-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. ...
) in
Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...
, state capital of Amazonas, to
Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
, from where the states of
Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
,
Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...
and parts of
Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
are supplied mainly with gasoline (petrol) refined in
Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...
. Cargo barges also use the Madeira on the route between Manaus and Porto Velho, which is along the Rio Negro,
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
and Madeira, connecting Manaus' industrial district with the rest of Brazil, as Manaus is land-locked as far as logistics with the rest of the country are concerned, to bring in part of its raw materials, and export its produce to the major consumer centres of
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and
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. In 2012, the cargo amounted to 287,835 tons (both directions). The total tonnage shipped in 2012 on the Madeira accounted to 5,076,014. Two large dams (see below) are under construction as part of the IIRSA regional integration project. The dam projects include large ship-locks capable of moving oceangoing vessels between the impounded reservoir and the downstream river. If the project is completed, "more than of waterways upstream from the dams in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru would become navigable."


Ecology

As typical of Amazonian rivers with the primary headwaters in the Andes, the Madeira River is
turbid Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wate ...
because of high sediment levels and it is
whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...
, but some of its tributaries are clearwater (e.g.,
Aripuanã Aripuanã is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil. It is located on the banks of the Aripuanã River. The city is served by Aripuanã Airport. The municipality contains the Rio Flor do Prado Ecolog ...
and
Ji-Paraná Ji-Paraná is the second most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, with a population of 130,009, and the 16th most populous city of the Brazilian North Region, the 210th most populous city of Brazil, and the 113th of the Brazi ...
) or blackwater (e.g.,
Manicoré Manicoré is a municipality located in the south-east of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. History Manicoré's origins date back to 1637, with the expedition of Pedro Teixeira, a Portuguese explorer and military man. The authorities of Grão-P ...
). The
Bolivian river dolphin The Bolivian river dolphin is a species (''Inia boliviensis'') or subspecies (''Inia geoffrensis boliviensis'') of freshwater dolphin found in upstream areas of the Amazon Basin. Taxonomy Bolivian river dolphins were discovered by the Western ...
, variously considered a subspecies of the
Amazon river dolphin The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale Endemism, endemic to South America and is classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recogni ...
or a separate species, is restricted to the upper Madeira River system. It has been estimated that there are more than 900 fish species in the Madeira River Basin, making it one of the freshwater systems in the world with the highest
species richness Species richness is the number of different species represented in an community (ecology), ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the Abundance (ecology), abunda ...
.


In popular culture

The river is the fifth title of the 1993/1999
Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
album ''
Aguas da Amazonia , is a 1993–99 musical composition by the American contemporary classical composer Philip Glass. Its first recording was performed by the Brazilian instrumental group Uakti (band), Uakti. Originally composed as a dance score for a ballet compa ...
''.


Dams

In July 2007, plans have been approved by the Brazilian Government to construct two
hydroelectric dams Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...
on the Madeira River, the
Santo Antônio Dam The Santo Antônio Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Madeira River southwest of Porto Velho in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. The dam's run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station has 50 turbines, each rated at 71.6 MW resulting in a total inst ...
near Porto Velho and the
Jirau Dam The Jirau Dam is a rock-fill dam with an asphalt-concrete core, in the Madeira River in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. The dam's hydroelectric power stations have 50 turbines each 75 MW resulting total installed capacity of 3,750 MW. The power p ...
about 100 km upstream. Both the Jirau and Santo Antonio dams are run-of-the-river projects that do not impound a large reservoir. Both dams also feature some environmental re-mediation efforts (such as fish ladders). As a consequence, it has been suggested that there has not been strong environmental opposition to the implementation of the Madeira river complex. Yet, if the fish ladders fail, "several valuable migratory fish species could suffer near-extinction as a result of the Madeira dams." There are also concerns with deforestation and pressure on conservation areas and indigenous peoples' territories. The Worldwatch institute has also criticized the fast-track approval process for "kindler, gentler dams with smaller reservoirs, designed to lessen social and environmental impacts", claiming that no project should "fast-track the licensing of new dams in Amazonia and allow projects to circumvent Brazil's tough environmental laws".


Languages

Indigenous languages of the upper Madeira River basin (in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru):Ramirez, Henri. 2006
As línguas indígenas do Alto Madeira: estatuto atual e bibliografia básica
''Língua Viva'' vol. 01, n. 01.
PDF
''Note'':
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= extinct language


References


External links

*
The Amazon and Madeira Rivers: Sketches and Descriptions from the Note-Book of an Explorer
from 1875 {{Authority control Rivers of Amazonas (Brazilian state) Rivers of Rondônia Tributaries of the Amazon River Rivers of Pando Department