Question

Describe the drainage system in South America.

Answer 1

1. Owing to the position of the Andes all the great rivers of the continent drain into the Atlantic.
2. The Pacific streams are short and swift but along the coastlands of Peru their waters are used for irrigation and to some extent for hydro-electric power. Amazon is the longest river of South America (6,450km) and is the largest river system in the world.
3. This river has over a thousand of tributaries.
4. The rivers Rio Negro, Madeira and Tapajos are important tributaries.
5. At the point where it enters the sea the river is so wide and powerful that it flows even at a distance of 80 km into the high seas.
6. The Orinoco River originates in the Guiana Highlands and flows northwards into the Caribbean Sea.
7. The river Paraguay has the Parana and Uruguay rivers as the main tributaries which together form and known as the Platte River system.
8. All the rivers are navigable for quite some distance in the interior.