Vaupés River is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Rio Negro in 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...

. It arises in the Guaviare Department

Guaviare Department

Guaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia...

 of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, flowing east through Guaviare and Vaupés Department

Vaupés Department

Vaupés is a department of Colombia in the jungle covered Amazonas Region. It is located in the southeast part of the country, bordering Brazil to the east, the department of Amazonas to the south, Caquetá and Guaviare, and Guainía to the north covering a total area of 54,135 km²...

s. It forms part of the international border between Colombia and the Amazonas state of 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...

. On the border it merges with the Papurí River

Papuri River

Papurí River is a river in South America. It emerges in the Vaupés Department of Colombia and flows east, forming part of the international boundary between Colombia and the Amazonas state of Brazil. On the border, it flows into the Uaupés River.-References:...

 and becomes known as the Uaupés. In 1847 an explorer saw a rapid which hurled its waves forty- or fifty feet in the air, "as if great subaqueous explosions were taking place." The river continues on east until it flows into the Rio Negro at São Joaquim, Amazonas.