River, South America. It is the continent's second longest river (after the
Amazon River) and rises on the plateau of southeast-central Brazil. It flows generally south 3,032 mi (4,880 km) to join the
Uruguay River and form the Río de la
Plata estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin includes most of southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. From its origin at the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers to its junction with the
Paraguay River, it is known as the Alto (Upper) Paraná. Completion of the Itaipú Dam between Paraguay and Brazil in the 1980s submerged the massive Guaíra Falls and created a large reservoir.
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