Rio São Francisco

The Rio São Francisco is an important Brazilian river which is born in Tightened da Canastra in the south of the State of the Minas Gerais, to roughly 1200 m of altitude, crosses south to north this State then that of Bahia where it curves in the east and makes the border with the State of the Pernambouc, then it finishes its loop towards south-east, separating the States from the Sergipe and the Alagoas. Finally it is thrown in the Atlantic Ocean. It is known under the names of the Brazilian Nile or of river of the national unit . This last name referring to the fact that it links the two more important groups of Brazilian States: industrialized States of south-east and those agricultural of the North-East.

Basin of Rio São Francisco

The river has an overall length of 3.160 km. It drains a surface of 617.812 km ², wider than joined together France and Switzerland. Its principal affluents are Rios Paraopeba, Abaeté, das Velhas, Jequitaí, Paracatu, Urucuia, Verde Grande, Carinhanha, Corrente and Grande. These rivers are especially originating in the south of the Minas Gerais where precipitations are definitely more abundant than more in north.

The medium flow of Rio São Francisco of more than 3.000 cubic meters a second, very irregular, is important, higher than the flows of the Rhine to its mouth, from the Nile in Khartoum and the Tiger and Euphrate joined together.

Crossed cities

The areas crossed by the river vast and are populated little, but there are some medium-sized cities which settled there. Since its source the river passes by Pirapora, São Francisco, Januária, Bom Jesus da Lapa, Xique-Xique, then it bathes the twin cities of Petrolina and Juazeiro, finally Paulo Afonso. The bathed zones are dry and arid so that the other cities small and are developed little. Only the Petrolina-Juazeiro agglomeration thrived well. These two cities are important for the production of fruits in the area, related to the irrigation due to the dam Sobradinho.

Navigation

The navigable sections are located in the middle price and lower river. Longest of them, between Pirapora E Juazeiro - Petrolina, 1.371 km is long. The first sub-section, which goes from Pirapora to the south (with the Minas Gerais) at the upstream end of the tank of Sobradinho, i.e. close to the town of Xique-Xique (Bahia), has 1.074 km of extension. Navigation is spring of company FRANAVE there.

The principal goods transferred onto the river are the Ciment, salt, the Sucre, rice, the Soja, the manufactured goods various, wood and especially the Gypse. On the navigable sections also the transport of tourists is exerted on adequate boats.

Sources

Some infos are collected of http://www.transportes.gov.br.
Municipes of the basin of São Francisco http://www.valedosaofrancisco.com.br/Municipios/DivisaoPolitica-MG.asp

Transfer of water towards other river basins

The abundance of the flow of the river in contrast with water poverty of various states of the north-eastern of the country is at the base of project of diversion of water towards other river basins, and this since the reign of the Emperor Dom Pedro II.

See too

List of rivers in the world
Transfer of water of Rio São Francisco.

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