Tapajós
Encyclopedia
The Tapajós, a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian river running through a humid and hot valley, pours into the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...

 500 miles above Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...

 and is about 1200 miles long.

It rises on the lofty Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian plateau near Diamantino
Diamantino
Diamantino is a small town in Mato Grosso state in Brazil. Its has a population of 18.580, and is near Diamantino river. It is 1837 feet above sea-level, and sits at the foot of the Mato Grosso plateau. Its history dates from 1730 as a gold mining settlement. In 1746, diamonds were discovered,...

 in 14 degrees 25' south latitude. Near this place a number of streams unite to form the river Arinos
Arinos River
The Arinos River is a river in Brazil in South America. It is located east of, and empties into, the Juruena River. Some of the Suyá Indians, a Gê-speaking people of central Brazil, migrated from the state of Maranhão to this river.-References:...

, which at latitude 10 degrees 25' joins the Juruena
Juruena River
The Juruena River is a 1240 km long river in west-central Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso. For the last 190 km of its lower part the river becomes the border between the states Mato Grosso and Amazonas...

 to form the Alto Tapajós, so called as far down as the Rio Manoel
Teles Pires
The Teles Pires or Rio São Manuel is a 1370 km long river in Brasil.The river flows through the state of Mato Grosso and its lower part is border between states Mato Grosso and Pará...

, which enters it from the east.

Thence
to Santarém the stream is known as the Tapajós. The lower Arinos, the Alto Tapajós and the Tapajós to the last rapid, the Maranhão Grande, are a continuous series of formidable cataracts and rapids; but from the Maranhão Grande to its mouth, about 188 miles, the river can be navigated by large vessels.

For its last 100 miles it is from 4 to 9 miles wide and much of it very deep. The valley of the Tapajós is bordered on both sides by bluffs. They are from 300 to 400 feet high along the lower river; but a few miles above Santarém, they retire from the eastern side and do not approach the Amazon flood-plain until some miles below Santarém.

South American pole of inaccessibility
Pole of inaccessibility
A pole of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach owing to its remoteness from geographical features that could provide access...

 is located close to the source
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...

s of Tapajós's tributaries, near town Utiariti

The Tapajós is named after the Tapajós Indians, a tribe of Native Americans from Santarém.

Further reading

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK