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News: Thousands of Indigenous people gathered during the Free Land Camp to oppose a large gold mining project along the Xingu River, which they believe threatens both their livelihoods and the fragile Amazon ecosystem
About Xingu River
- Location: It is located in the state of Para in northern Brazil.
- Origin: It rises from the Mato Grosso Plateau in Brazil, between the Serra do Roncador and Serra Formosa mountain ranges.
- It is formed by the confluence Jatobá, Ronuro, Batovi, Kurisevo and Kuluene rivers.
- Course of river: It flows northward for about 2,100 km from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.
- It is joined by its main tributary, the Iriri River, near Altamira.
- Finally, it empties into the Amazon River just south of Ilha Grande de Gurupa.
- Total basin area: Its basin covers an area of 531,000 km².
- It forms a 100-km-long bend known as the Volta Grande do Xingu in the Amazon rainforest.
- Serra do Cachimbo waterfalls and the Volta Grand rapids (downstream from Altamira) act as a barrier for aquatic fauna between the central Amazon Basin and the upper Xingu basin.
- Tributary of: It is one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River.
- National Park: Around 14,000 indigenous people from nine different ethnic groups live along the river.
- To protect these communities, the Xingu National Park was established along it.
- Hydro-project: The Belo Monte Dam (formerly known as Kararaô) is a hydroelectric dam on the northern part of the Xingu River.
