Río Grande (Bolivia)

	Río Grande; Río Guapay
	Amazon basin, the Río Grande purple
	Data
location	Bolivia
River system	Amazon
Drain over	Río Mamoré → Rio Madeira → Amazon → Atlantic Ocean
Confluence of	Río Caine and Río San Pedro , south of Cochabamba ; 18 ° 25 ′ 4 ″ S , 65 ° 20 ′ 44 ″ W
Source height	3693 m
muzzle	Río Mamoré coordinates: 15 ° 48 ′ 9 ″ S , 64 ° 43 ′ 47 ″ W 15 ° 48 ′ 9 ″ S , 64 ° 43 ′ 47 ″ W.;
Mouth height	174 m
Height difference	3519 m
Bottom slope	2.4 ‰
length	1438 km
Catchment area	approx. 102,600 km²
Left tributaries	Río Yapacaní
Big cities	Cochabamba , Santa Cruz de la Sierra
	Río Grande near Puerto Pailas

The Río Grande (or Río Guapay ) is a right tributary of the Río Mamoré in Bolivia . It arises from the confluence of the Río Caine and Río San Pedro and is often considered the longest source river of the Mamoré because of its length.

River course

Río Rocha

One of the origins of the Rio Grande is the Río Rocha , which rises east of the city of Cochabamba on the southern slope of the Cochabamba Cordillera . The Río Rocha crosses the basin of Cochabamba in a westerly direction in a seasonally fluctuating water flow. After 65 km the river turns in a south-easterly direction and joins the Río Arque after another 50 km east of Capinota at an altitude of 2,350 m above sea level .

Río Arque

The Río Arque rises halfway between the cities of Oruro and Cochabamba and covers a total distance of 85 km until it joins the Río Rocha near the city of Capinota .

Río Caine

After the union of Río Rocha and Río Arque , the river bears the name Río Caine for the next 162 km and flows in a largely south-easterly direction, before it is given the name Río Grande in the further course after the union with the Río San Pedro .

Rio Grande

After a total of 500 kilometers, the river turns to the northeast and flows around the metropolis of Santa Cruz in a wide arc . The river bed is several km wide in parts, the river itself up to 300 m.

Important tributaries of the Río Grande are the San Pedro, Chayanta, Chico, Charobamba, Tomina, Mizque, Azero, Pailas and Yapacani rivers.

To the northeast of the city of Santa Cruz, the river divides into many small arms due to the low gradient and the heavy agricultural use, each of which is only a narrow rivulet for a few kilometers.

1,438 kilometers below the source of the Río Rocha , the Río Grande flows into the Río Mamoré , which in turn joins the Río Beni to the Rio Madeira , a direct tributary of the Amazon , 1,143 kilometers downstream .

Web links

Commons : Río Grande - collection of images, videos and audio files

Sediment transport in the Rio Grande. 1994 ( English ; PDF; 494 kB)