Araçuaí River
| Araçuaí River | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Brazil |
| Basin features | |
| Main source | Minas Gerais state |
| Tributaries |
|
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 319 kilometres (198 mi) |
The Araçuaí River (Portuguese: Rio Araçuaí) is a river of Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. The Araçuaí River flows through the Jequitinhonha Valley in the northeast of Minas Gerais, through the town of Araçuaí, which the river takes its name from. It is a tributary of the Jequitinhonha River, flowing south from its right bank. The confluence of the river is located at 16°45′45″S 42°0′32″W / 16.76250°S 42.00889°W. Tributaries include the Gravatá River, Setúbal River, Capivara River, Fanado River and the Itamarandiba River.
According to the Fundação João Pinheiro (FJP) (João Pinheiro Foundation), an agency of the government of the state of Minas Gerais, which has the responsibility to provide technical support services to the State Secretariat for Planning and Management and other state operational systems, the Araçuaí River raises in the Senador Modestino Gonçalves district and joins the Jequitinhonha River in the Araçuai district near the Araçuai town, after traversing a distance of 319.2 kilometres (198.3 mi) from its source. The river basin includes the 498 hectares (1,230 acres) Mata dos Ausentes Ecological Station, a fully protected conservation unit.
The Araçuaí River valley is famous for the settlements that got established during the gold rush period in the early 18th century, in the region of Minas Novas when Sebastião Leme do Prado located gold veins. The Berilo town, known then as Água Suja, got established at the confluence of the Araçuaí River and the Água Suja stream. As gold mines were fully exploited and exhausted in the valleys' by the 1730s, agricultural produce got a boost with cultivation of corn and cotton. Cattle breeding in ranches also evolved as a basic sustenance need of the people. However, in the 19th century Araçuaí became one of the important cotton producing regions in northern region of Minas and was one of major supply bases for a number of cotton mills that got established by 1868 with the initiative of the Mascernhas brothers, not only in the Municipal district of Sete Lagoas but also in several other municipal districts close to the cotton producing regions.
...
Wikipedia