River · Brazil
Araguaia
The Araguaia is a long river in the heart of Brazil. On its way north it splits in two and flows around Bananal Island, one of the largest river islands in the world.
Picture credit: Hector Bottai (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Markinhosmasa (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Adilson concerva (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Araguaia?
The river starts here: Brazilian Highlands on the border of Goiás and Mato Grosso.
It ends in the Tocantins River at São João do Araguaia.
Countries on the river: Brazil.
The story behind it
The Araguaia rises in the Brazilian Highlands and flows north-east until it joins the Tocantins at São João do Araguaia. For long stretches it forms the border between Brazilian states. In the middle of its course the river splits: the western arm keeps the name Araguaia, while the eastern arm is called the Javaés. Between them lies Bananal Island, about 320 km long and 55 km wide. Part of it is a national park, and Indigenous peoples such as the Karajá and the Javaé live there in villages. From May to October bright sandbanks appear along the river, and thousands of visitors come to its beaches near Aruanã. Giant otters, black caimans and the huge pirarucu fish live in the river. In 2014, scientists described a dolphin that lives only in this river system: the Araguaian river dolphin, which can be grey to pink.
Questions children ask
How long is the Araguaia?
The Araguaia is about 2 627 km long. Sources differ quite a lot, and some give only about 2 200 km.
What is Bananal Island?
Bananal Island is a huge island that forms where the Araguaia splits into two arms that later join again. With about 19 000 km², it is one of the largest river islands on Earth.
Which dolphin lives in the Araguaia?
The Araguaian river dolphin lives only in the Araguaia–Tocantins river system and was first described by scientists in 2014. Only about 600 to 1 500 of these grey to pink dolphins are thought to exist.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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