The Potaro River is a river in Guyana

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

 in northern South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

The source of the Potaro River is in the Mount Ayanganna

Mount Ayanganna

Mount Ayanganna is a sandstone tepui in the Pakaraima Mountains of western Guyana, 85 kilometres east of Mount Roraima at . With a height of 2,041 metres it is the easternmost tepui taller than 2,000 metres...

 area of the Pakaraima Mountains in the North Rupununi Savannah

Rupununi savannah

The Rupununi savannah is a savanna plain in Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is an ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome.-Description:...

s. The river runs for approximately 225 km (139.8 mi) before flowing into the Essequibo River

Essequibo River

The Esequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil-Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,010 km through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean.-Geography:There are countless...

, Guyana's largest river.

Nine waterfalls are found on the Potaro River, most notable being Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls is a high-volume waterfall on the Potaro River in central Guyana, Potaro-Siparuni region. It is located inKaieteur National Park. It is 226 meters high when measured from its plunge over a sandstone and conglomerate cliff to the first break...

 and Tumatumari Falls. Below Kaieteur Falls lies Amatuk Falls & Waratuk Falls.

A 1930 Suspension bridge

Suspension bridge

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...

, the Garraway Stream Bridge crosses the river. As well, 'Two Islands' is found on the Potaro River.

Chenapau is a small Amerindian village located in forested terrain along the Potaro River south of Kaieteur Falls. Menzies Landing, a small settlement that is a 20 minute walk upriver from Kaieteur Falls, is the main staging area for up river travel. Up river from the falls, the Potaro Plateau stretches out to the distant escarpment of the Pakaraima Mountains.

Placer gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 and diamonds are extracted from the river in this mineral-rich area. Individuals who pan for gold are referred to as Porkknockers.

In the first half of the 20th century miners, employing primitive methods, recovered significant quantities of gem-quality diamonds from the area's rivers and streams. In fact the two largest gem-quality diamonds recovered in Guyana to date - 56.75 carats (11.35 g) from Little Uewang River and 25.67 carats (5.134 g) from Maple Creek

Maple Creek

Maple Creek may refer to:*Maple Creek, California*Maple Creek, Saskatchewan*Maple Creek , Canadian riding*Maple Creek, Wisconsin*Maple Creek crater...

 - were recovered in the Potaro area.

Many thousands of ounces of placer gold have been recovered from the area's stream gravels, residual placers and saprolites.

The mineral Potarite is named for the river where it was first discovered.

See also

• Amaila Falls
  Amaila Falls
  Amaila Falls is located on the Kuribrong River , a tributary of the Potaro River in west central Guyana.The river drops from the escarpment over Amaila Falls vertically approximately 200 feet, and continues in a series of rapids and falls for almost two miles before reaching placid water at an...