The Trombetas is a large

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

on the northern side of the Amazon River.

Course

The Trombetas is long, and is navigable by 500 ton vessels for a stretch of . The Trombetas river gives birth to very many rivers, including the Anamu river. It is formed by the junction of the Poana and Anuma rivers on the border between Brazil and

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. Where it meets the Paraná de Sapucuá it takes the name of lower Trombetas, and reaches up to in width, with the stream divided by several long and narrow islands. It runs through the municipalities of

Oriximiná Oriximiná is the westernmost and second-largest (by territorial area) municipality in the Brazilian state of Pará. It is also the fourth-largest in the country. Geography The city lies on the Trombetas river, northwest of Óbidos. The city ...

Terra Santa Terra Santa is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Saracá-Taquera National Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit created in 1989. See also *List of municipalities i ...

, Óbidos and Faro. The river basin has an area of about , with an intricate pattern of tributaries including the Poana, Anamu, Turuna, Inhabu, Mapuera and Paru de Oeste. In the

Saracá-Taquera National Forest The Saracá-Taquera National Forest () is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Saracá-Taquera National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities of Faro, Oriximiná and T ...

the main streams in the Trombetas basin are the Papagaio, Água Fria, Moura, Jamari, Ajará, Terra Preta and Saracá. Its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the Amazon is just west of the town of

Óbidos, Pará Óbidos is a municipality in Pará, Brazil located at the narrowest and swiftest part of the Amazon River. The town was founded in 1697, and is located between Santarém and Oriximiná. It is the seat of the Diocese of Óbidos. The town was na ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Its sources is in the

Guiana highlands The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

, but its long course is frequently interrupted by violent currents, rocky barriers, and rapids. The inferior zone of the river, as far up as the first fall, the Porteira, has but little broken water and is low and swampy; but above the long series of cataracts and rapids the character and aspect of the valley completely change, and the climate is much better. The river is

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

for above its mouth. The river reaches its highest levels in April and May, since the rainy season usually peaks in April.

Region

The river flows through the Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests ecoregion. The river basin lies partly within the

Grão-Pará Ecological Station The Grão-Pará Ecological Station ( is a strictly protected Ecological station (Brazil), ecological station in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is managed by the state of Pará. With of well-preserved Amazon rainforest, it is the largest fully prot ...

, the largest fully protected tropical forest conservation unit on the planet. South of the ecological station it flows through the

Trombetas State Forest The Trombetas State Forest () is a state forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Trombetas State Forest is divided between the municipalities of Oriximiná (87.91%), Óbidos (10.27%) and Alenquer (1.82%) in the state of Pará. It has ...

from north to south.

References

Sources

* * Tributaries of the Amazon River Rivers of Pará {{Pará-river-stub