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Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil January 1986. One of the major tributaries of
Amazon River is the Rio Negro, with its source in the mountains of eastern
Colombia and its mouth at Manaus. The Rio Negro, approximately 1400 miles
(2255 kilometers) long, is filled with many islands and has many secondary
tributaries and channels. This photograph shows five major tributaries entering
the Rio Negro approximately 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of Manaus,
viewing clockwise-the Rio Branco from the north with highly reflective sandbars;
the Rio Jauaperi; a portion of the Rio Unini; the Rio Caurés; and the Rio
Jufari. The Rio Negro (named for its black color, which results from vegetal
debris, not sediment) provides an excellent transportation link for the
commercial shipping of rubber and nuts and also for transporting people
and general goods to the hinterland of northwestern Brazil.
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