Madre de Dios River

Ferries across the Río Madre de Dios at Puerto Maldonado

River network with the Río Madre de Dios in the Beni lowlands

The Alto Madre de Dios before emerging into the plane of the Amazon Basin

Riparian vegetation on hard rock and rainforest on saprolithisch weathered sediments ( above) on the Río Madre de Dios

Meandering course of the Madre de Dios in Bolivia

Course with tributaries

The Río Madre de Dios (Spanish for "Mother of God River "; Quechua: Amaru Mayu - "River of sacred serpent "; Araona: Manutata - " Father of Rivers ") is a left tributary of the Río Beni in southeastern Peru and northern Bolivia.

Its headwaters lies in the very high rainfall Cordillera de Carabaya in the department of Madre de Dios. The total of almost 1,400 km long Río Madre de Dios has at its mouth with 6372 m³ / s, a greater water flow than the Rio Beni with 2829 m³ / s and in turn, a greater water flow at the confluence with the Río Mamoré so that about him the hydrological main strand of the Rio Madeira runs.

Headwaters

The river carries its name from the confluence of the Alto Madre de Dios and Manu significantly larger near the village of Puerto Manu.

Rio Alto Madre de Dios

The Río Madre de Dios River originates as Huaisampilla along with tributaries of similar size in the Cordillera de Carabaya ( Nevado de Pucara ). The foothills to the east accompanying subandinen edge chains lead to early union of the directed transversely to watercourses and eventually broken by them in ravines. After passing through the canyon of Pongo de Conec the Río Alto Madre de Dios River flows in branched, gravel- rich river bed, the gentle slope of the low hilly Andean foreland following, an almost straight line to the northeast. At the confluence with the Río Manu, he leads on average about 570 m³ / s of water, the length of the river is about 250 km

Río Manu

( " River " Araona ) northbound and then turns sharply meandering one to the southeast from its headwaters in the area covered by dense fog and mountain rain forests of the Andean border chains of the upper Río Manu flows. From right, he gets most of tributaries, of which the Rio Providencia and Río Pinquina are the greatest. Most of his exceptionally species-rich catchment area is protected in the National Park Manu and may not be entered in the expanded core area. The Manu presents with an average water flow of about 920 m³ / s at the mouth hydrologically the actual headwaters of the Río Madre de Dios is, which moreover also retains the direction of Manu. The data for length range from 356 km to 465 km; the length of 435 kilometers ( difference of Peruvian Madre de Dios alone: 480 km and with Manu: 915 km ) is most understandable.

Course as Madre de Dios

Below Boca de Manu swings the Río Madre de Dios from his first walls parallel, south-eastern direction of flow gradually to the northeast one, the main direction of the rivers in the southern Amazon basin. In Puerto Tahuantinsuyo the first of many right tributaries of the Río Azul opens. A little later joins the Río Colorado, in its upper reaches and large areas are almost devastated as a result largely of illegal gold mining, and the water has a high mercury levels. The largest tributary is a native of the Andean border chains Río Inambari and the longest of the then opens out from the left Río de Las Piedras. Opposite is the estuary of the Río Tambopata angle is the only major city on the Río Madre de Dios, Puerto Maldonado, capital of Madre de Dios region and commercial center with a small airport. The city is formally called: Capital de la Biodiversidad del Perú (biodiversity capital of Peru ). From here, the river also Bajo Madre de Dios (lower level) is called.

After nearly 460 kilometers of the Madre de Dios achieved in the town of Puerto Heath the border into Bolivia. Here he turns to the northwest, a direction that maintains the current under different names to the Amazon. After another 483 km stretch of river he joins in Riberalta with the Río Beni. The meandering flow over its entire length and, therefore, changes its course and its length constant. Numerous oxbows accompany its course.

In some cards, the subsequent 160 km long river section between Riberalta and the mouth of the Río Beni is also known as Río Madre de Dios, but official Bolivian cards identify him as Río Beni.

The Río Madre de Dios is the main artery of an otherwise very little territory which, though interrupted by rapids. On its shores is still little land taken under culture, mainly as subsistence farming and for mango crops. On the southern Peruvian tributaries as other protected areas of Bahuaja - Sonene National Park and the Tambopata National National Park have been established.

Tributaries

Larger tributaries are ( sequence downstream ):

• Rio Alto Madre de Dios 250 km, 570 m³ / s (right- source river )
• Río Manu 440 km, 920 m³ / s (left frontal flow )
• Río Colorado 100 km, 500 m³ / s ( right)
• Rio de Los Amigos (left)
• Río Inambari 440 km, 1310 m³ / s ( right)
• Río de Las Piedras (or Tacuatimanu ) 610 km, 780 m³ / s ( left)
• Río Tambopata 400 km, 1240 m³ / s ( right)
• Río Heath 220 km, 130 m³ / s ( Peruvian- Bolivian border river to 200 km, on the right )
• Río Manupare (Río Sena ) 240 km, 190 m³ / s ( Bolivia, right)