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Paraguay

 
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Paraguay

Drainage

Rivers have greatly influenced the character of the country. The R�o Paraguay and R�o Paran� and their tributaries define most of the country's borders, provide all its drainage, and serve as transportation routes. Most of the larger towns of the interior, as well as Asunci�n, are river ports.

The R�o Paraguay has a total course of 2,600 kilometers, 2,300 of which are navigable and 1,200 of which either border on or pass through Paraguay. The head of navigation is located in Brazil, and during most years vessels with twenty-one-meter drafts can reach Concepci�n without difficulty. Medium-sized ocean vessels can sometimes reach Asunci�n, but the twisting course and shifting sandbars can make this transit difficult. Although sluggish and shallow, the river sometimes overflows its low banks, forming temporary swamps and flooding villages. River islands, meander scars, and oxbow (U-shaped) lakes attest to frequent changes in course.

The major tributaries entering the R�o Paraguay from the Parane�a region--such as the R�o Apa, R�o Aquidab�n, and R�o Tebicuary--descend rapidly from their sources in the Paran� Plateau to the lower lands; there they broaden and become sluggish as they meander westward. After heavy rains these rivers sometimes inundate nearby lowlands.

About 4,700 kilometers long, the R�o Paran� is the second major river in the country. From Salto del Guair�, where the river enters Paraguay, the R�o Paran� flows 800 kilometers to its juncture with the R�o Paraguay and then continues southward to the R�o de la Plata Estuary at Buenos Aires, Argentina. In general, the R�o Paran� is navigable by large ships only up to Encarnaci�n but smaller boats may go somewhat farther. In summer months the river is deep enough to permit vessels with drafts of up to three meters to reach Salto del Guair�, but seasonal and other occasional conditions severely limit the river's navigational value. On the upper course, sudden floods may raise the water level by as much as five meters in twenty-four hours; west of Encarnaci�n, however, the rocks of the riverbed sometimes come within one meter of the surface during winter and effectively sever communication between the upper river and Buenos Aires.

The rivers flowing eastward across the Parane�a region as tributaries of the R�o Paran� are shorter, faster-flowing, and narrower than the tributaries of the R�o Paraguay. Sixteen of these rivers and numerous smaller streams enter the R�o Paran� above Encarnaci�n.

Paraguay's third largest river, the R�o Pilcomayo, flows into the R�o Paraguay near Asunci�n after demarcating the entire border between the Chaco region and Argentina. During most of its course, the river is sluggish and marshy, although small craft can navigate its lower reaches. When the R�o Pilcomayo overflows its low banks, it feeds the Estero Pati�o.

Drainage in the Chaco region is generally poor because of the flatness of the land and the small number of important streams. In many parts of the region, the water table is only a meter beneath the surface of the ground, and there are numerous small ponds and seasonal marshes. As a consequence of the poor drainage, most of the water is too salty for drinking or irrigation.

Because of the seasonal overflow of the numerous westwardflowing streams, the lowland areas of the Parane�a region also experience poor drainage conditions, particularly in the �eembuc� Plain in the southwest, where an almost impervious clay subsurface prevents the absorption of excess surface water into the aquifer. About 30 percent of the Parane�a region is flooded from time to time, creating extensive areas of seasonal marshlands. Permanent bogs are found only near the largest geographic depressions, however.

Data as of December 1988

Paraguay - TABLE OF CONTENTS

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