Geography & Travel
São Francisco River
river, Brazil
Also known as: Rio São Francisco
Category:
Geography & Travel
- Portuguese:
- Rio São Francisco
São Francisco River, major river of eastern South America. With a length of 1,811 miles (2,914 kilometres), it is the fourth largest river system of the continent and the largest river wholly within Brazil. The São Francisco has been called the “river of national unity,” for it long has served as a line of communication between Brazil’s maritime and western regions and between the northeast and the south. The river is named for the 16th-century Jesuit leader St. Francis Borgia (São Francisco de Borja). It is an important source of hydroelectric power and irrigation for eastern and northeastern Brazil. The ...(100 of 1575 words)