Xingu River

The Xingu River is a long and important river in northern Brazil. It stretches for about 1,640 kilometers, or 1,020 miles. The river flows into the Amazon River, making it one of the Amazon’s many tributaries.

It is known as a clearwater river, which means it carries clear water compared to other rivers in the same area. The Xingu River plays a big role in the Amazon basin, providing about 5% of the water that flows through the Amazon.

Many different cultures and animals live near and within the Xingu River, making it an important part of the natural world. In different languages, the river has different names, such as "Rio Xingu" in Portuguese and "Byti" in the Mẽbêngôkre language.

Description and history

The Brazilian government created the first Indigenous Park in the Xingu River basin in the early 1960s. This park was the first indigenous territory recognized by Brazil and was the largest in the world at that time. Today, fourteen tribes live in Xingu Indigenous Park, using the river for food and water.

The government also built the Belo Monte Dam on the Lower Xingu, which started operating in 2019. It is one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. Some groups argued that the dam could harm the environment and affect the river’s flow. The Xingu River is home to many fish species, with over 450 documented and many more believed to exist. The dam is expected to change the river’s flow in a section called the Volta Grande, which includes rapids.

The Upper Xingu region once had a well-organized landscape with fertile soil and roads. Nearby is the Culuene River, a large tributary that flows for 600 kilometers.

In popular culture

The name of the Xingu River has appeared in many creative works. It was used as the title of a funny short story written by Edith Wharton in 1911 and also as a song on an album by the band Ozric Tentacles. The river inspired the name of an album called Aguas da Amazonia, and a beer made near the river is sold worldwide under the name "Xingu".

In the novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, the Xingu River is where an expedition took place. There is also a Brazilian film from 2011 called Xingu, directed by Cao Hamburger. This movie is about an expedition in 1943 that helped create a special area for indigenous people. Additionally, Embraer, a Brazilian company, made a twin-engine airplane in the 1970s called the Embraer Xingu.