Pará River | Amazon, Tocantins, Tapajós | Britannica (original) (raw)

Pará River, channel of the Amazon delta and estuary of the Tocantins River. It passes to the south and east of Marajó Island, in northeastern Pará estado (state), northern Brazil. It carries a small part of the discharge of the Amazon River eastward and northward to the Atlantic Ocean, off Cape Maguarinho, and also receives the massive Tocantins River from the south. The river’s width varies from 5 to 40 miles (8 to 65 km), and its entire 200-mile (320-kilometre) length is navigable. Belém, the capital of Pará state, lies on the Pará River’s right (south) bank, near the mouths of the Guamá and Guajará rivers. The tidal bore of the Amazon is strong on the Pará, reaching 12 feet (4 m) in height.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.