Guaporé River | |
Iténez River | |
Rio Guaporé at Pontes e Lacerda (Brazil)
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Countries | Bolivia, Brazil |
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Tributaries | |
- left | Alegre River, Verde River, Paragúa River, Río Blanco, Machupo River |
- right | Guatire River, Branco River, Corumbiara River, Colorado River, Massaco River, Cabixi River |
Source | Parecis plateau |
- location | Mato Grosso, Brazil |
- elevation | 631 m (2,070 ft) |
- coordinates | 14°35′58″S 58°57′11″W / 14.59944°S 58.95306°W |
Mouth | Mamoré River |
- location | Brazil/Bolivia |
- elevation | 131 m (430 ft) |
- coordinates | 11°53′15″S 65°1′53″W / 11.88750°S 65.03139°WCoordinates: 11°53′15″S 65°1′53″W / 11.88750°S 65.03139°W |
Length | 1,210 km (750 mi) |
Basin | 266,460 km2 (102,880 sq mi) |
Discharge | mouth |
- average | 1,530 m3/s (54,030 cu ft/s) |
Guaporé River (Portuguese: Rio Guaporé) is a river in western Brazil and northeastern Bolivia. Its Bolivian name is Río Iténez. It is 1,530 km (950 mi) long; 970 km (600 mi) of the river forms the border between Brazil and Bolivia.
The Guaporé River is part of the Madeira River basin, which eventually empties into the Amazon River. The Guaporé River crosses the eastern part of the Beni savanna region. It forms the border of the 615,771 hectares (1,521,600 acres) Guaporé Biological Reserve, and is fed by rivers originating in the reserve, the São Miguel, Branco, São Simão, Massaco and Colorado.
About 260 fish species are known from the Guaporé River basin, and about 25 of these are endemic. While many fish species in the river essentially are Amazonian, the fauna in the Guaporé also has a connection with the Paraguay River (part of the Paraná River basin). The Guaporé and the Paraguay, while flowing in different directions, originate in the same region of Brazil. Among the fish species shared between these are the black tetra and black phantom tetra, which both are important in the aquarium industry.