River · Brazil
São Francisco
The São Francisco is the largest river that flows entirely within Brazil. It starts in the Serra da Canastra mountains, crosses a dry region where water is precious and finally reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Picture credit: Webysther (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Leonardo Gentile (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Marinelson Almeida - Traveling through Brazil (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is São Francisco?
The river starts here: Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
It ends in the Atlantic Ocean between Alagoas and Sergipe.
Countries on the river: Brazil.
The story behind it
The São Francisco starts in the Serra da Canastra in the state of Minas Gerais. More than half of its basin lies in a dry region, where droughts are common and the river's water is very important. Brazilians call it 'Velho Chico', which means 'Old Frank', and also the river of national unity. European sailors discovered it on 4 October 1501, the feast day of Saint Francis, and named it after him. On the river boats, boatmen fixed carved wooden figures called carrancas to the front, with human or animal faces, to scare away river demons. An old paddle steamer, the Benjamim Guimarães, still takes tourists on trips. At Paulo Afonso the river drops 80 metres, and big power stations make electricity there. The Sobradinho reservoir covers 4 214 square kilometres. Finally the river reaches the Atlantic between the states of Alagoas and Sergipe.
Questions children ask
How long is the São Francisco?
The São Francisco is about 2 863 km long. Depending on how it is measured, sources give lengths between about 2 700 and 3 200 km.
What are carrancas?
Carrancas are carved wooden figures with a human or animal face. Boatmen on the São Francisco fixed them to the front of their boats to scare away river demons.
Which states does the São Francisco flow through?
It flows through five Brazilian states: Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe. Its last stretch forms the border between Alagoas and Sergipe.
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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