3.1 South America The South American continent has several navigable rivers that are significant to the region’s internal and export-based trade. By all measures, the largest river system is the Amazon and its tributaries. It is naturally navigable and while it does not have large traffic flows compared to other global rivers, these are increasing quickly as the economy and population grow in the region. The second most used system in South America is the Hydrovia Parana-Paraguay (HPP), where those two rivers enable export and import access from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. This section focuses on those two systems, including the regional and international investments to enhance their use. Other important rivers, including the Orinoco and Magdalena rivers in the northern part of the continent, have attracted significant investment, including a $1 billion iron ore facility on the Orinoco supported by the Chinese government.49 But these rivers have much less investment and overall potential compared with the Amazon and HPP.
3.1.1 Amazon River The Amazon River is approximately 4,250 miles long and has over 1,100 tributaries that branch off from the main river or the Amazon proper, as shown in Figure 4.50 The river originates in the Andes Mountains of Peru and runs laterally through the South American continent in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Major tributaries include the Huallaga, Ucayali, Marañon, Negro, Xingu, Madeira, Purus, Tocantins-Araguaia, and Japura rivers. The Amazon River upstream from Manaus, where it meets with the Negro River, is also known as the Solimões River. The river traverses tribal lands and 27 state borders containing rainforests, mountains, grasslands, savannas, dry forests and shrublands, and pastures.51
Waterborne Competitiveness
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