Rio Japurá

Rio Japurá - Río Caquetá
Course of the Japurá in South America
Data
location	Colombia , Brazil
River system	Amazon
Drain over	Amazon  → Atlantic
Headwaters	Cordillera Central , east of Pasto 1 ° 46 ′ 15 ″  N , 76 ° 41 ′ 10 ″  W
Source height	approx.  2700  m
muzzle	in the Amazon near Tefé Coordinates: 3 ° 9 ′ 56 "  S , 64 ° 46 ′ 51"  W 3 ° 9 ′ 56 "  S , 64 ° 46 ′ 51"  W
Mouth height	approx.  70  m
Height difference	approx. 2630 m
Bottom slope	approx. 0.93 ‰
length	2816 km
Catchment area	255,700 km²
Discharge at the gauge at the mouth of the A Eo : 255,700 km²	MQ Mq	18,620 m³ / s 72.8 l / (s km²)
Left tributaries	Río Orteguaza , Río Caguán , Río Yari , Río Apaporis
Right tributaries	Río Macaya , Río Cahuinari
Riparian vegetation of the Rio Japurá
The Río Caquetá after emerging from the Andes at low water levels
The rapids of Araracuara in Spix's travel atlas (1823–1831)

The Rio Japurá [ˌʒɐpuˈɾa] (span. Yapurá ), called Río Caquetá in the Colombian upper reaches , is a 2,816 kilometer long left tributary of the Amazon in South America .

River course

The Río Caquetá rises east of Pasto in the Andes in southwestern Colombia, only about 10 km from the sources of the Río Magdalena . From there it flows in a south-easterly direction to Brazil , where it is called Rio Japurá along a stretch of 733 km . With an average water flow of around 18,600 m³ / s, the Japurá is the third largest tributary of the Amazon (after the Rio Madeira and the Rio Negro ). There are connections to the Rio Negro via several natural waterways. The exceptional size of the river for a catchment area of ​​around 255,700 km² is due to the high rainfall in parts of the western Amazon basin . At Tefé , the river flows into the Amazon, accompanied by many smaller tributaries. (In the 18th century one spoke of an eight-armed mouth.)

shipping

The Caquetá is used as a shipping route to a limited extent. It is used to transport goods between the port of Solano and the region around Florencia , both in the Department of Caquetá in Colombia. The Japurá, the Brazilian section of the river, is also navigated by inland vessels with shallower drafts , so-called lanchas .

A continuous navigability fails because of the rapids in the narrow sandstone canyon of Araracuara in the east of the Colombian Department del Caquetá and is made more difficult by numerous smaller rapids. The river is therefore not suitable as a future waterway between Colombia and Brazil, unlike the Río Putumayo . In the Colombian sector, guerrilla activities pose a further risk to shipping.

Japurá is also a city in the Brazilian state of Amazonas .

Ecological aspects

Along the Rio Japurá, the tropical rainforest has given way to extensive pastures and other agricultural areas. The river landscape is known for its rich fauna ; giant catfish , electric eels , turtles and caimans are found in the river itself .

The largest tributaries

The largest tributaries include (downstream):

• Río Orteguaza (left)
• Río Macaya (right)
• Río Caguán (left)
• Río Yari (left)
• Río Cahuinari (right)
• Río Apaporis (left)

Web links

Commons : Rio Japurá  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} MQ according to Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA) e Secretaria Nacional de Recursos Hídricos ( data overview )
2. ^ Kümmerly + Frey Rand McNally : International Atlas . Published by Georg Westermann Verlag ISBN 3-07-508962-1