Branco (original) (raw)

The Branco is the principal affluent of the Negro River from the north; it is enriched by many streams from the sierras which separate Venezuela and Guyana from Brazil. Its two upper main tributaries are the Urariquira and the Takutu. The latter almost links its sources with those of the Essequibo. The Branco flows nearly south, and finds its way into the Negro through several channels and a chain of lagoons similar to those of the latter river. It is 350 miles long, up to its Urariquira confluence. It has numerous islands, and, 235 miles above its mouth, it is broken by a bad series of rapids.