Bermejo River
The
Bermejo River is a river in
South America that travels a total of 1450 km from
Bolivia to the
Paraguay River in
Argentina.The river is generally called Bermejo in spite of its different names along its way, but it also has its own
Native American names; in
Toba it is called
Teuco, and in
Guaraní its called
Ypitá.
The river is born in a mountain range known as
Sierra de Santa Victoria around coordinates near
Tarija, a few kilometres southeast of
Chaguaya in Bolivia, and not far from
La Quiaca,
Jujuy Province, Argentina.In general, it maintains a a southeastern direction. At its highest part, its main
tributaries are the
Lipeo River, and further downstream the
Grande de Tarija, the
Uriya River, and the
San Francisco River.
After this important last contributor, the Bermejo becomes navigable for medium size vessels. Near the
Tropic of Capricorn, the river splits in two; the smaller Bermejito, and the northern arm that known as
Teuco River. When leaving the province of Salta, the Teuco (or
Bermejo Nuevo) draws the limit between the
provinces of
Chaco and
Formosa.
The southern branch (or
Bermejito) of curvy and sometimes dry path, crosses Chaco near the
El Impenetrable jungle. On the shores of this river can still be seen the ruins of the former towns of Concepcion del Bermejo, San Bernardo de Vértiz and La Cangayé.
The Teuco follows its course to finally and into the
Paraguay River, in front of thecity of
Pilar, in
Paraguay.
Navigable during rainy season (Februar, July and November), it carries red-coloured sediments. producing irregular accumulations that can even alter the course of the river, leaving the older paths as wet depressions.In spite of the variability of its basin, given its depth, its considered a valuable still unexploited commercial route for boats, with failed attempts of canalization during the 19th century.
Note: the upper part of the
Desaguadero River is sometimes also called the Bermejo.
