The Río de la Plata Basin , sometimes called the Platine basin or Platine region, is the name given to the 4144000 square kilometres (1,600,007.3 sq mi) hydrographical area that covers parts of Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

 and Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

. It is the second largest river basin on Earth.

The precipitation falling within this area is collected by several rivers to finally reach the Río de la Plata

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

 (or River Plate; River Silver in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

), many of them through the Paraná River

Paraná River

The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...

 and the Uruguay River

Uruguay River

The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...

, its two most important tributaries

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

. These rivers include the Paraguay

Paraguay River

The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...

, Pilcomayo

Pilcomayo River

The Pilcomayo River is a river in central South America. At long, it is the longest western tributary of the Paraguay River. Its drainage basin is in area, and its mean discharge is ....

, Bermejo

Bermejo River

The Bermejo River is a river in South America that flows 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 Wichí it is called Teuco, and in Guaraní it is called Ypitá...

, Salado, Carcarañá

Carcarañá River

The Carcarañá River is a river in Argentina. It is born at the confluence of the Río Tercero and the Saladillo River in the south-east of the province of Córdoba and flows eastward into the province of Santa Fe, which it crosses.In Santa Fe the river first turns south, then...

, Tercero

Tercero River

The Tercero River , also known as Ctalamochita, is the river of the Córdoba Province with the most important water flow...

, Cuarto

Cuarto River

The Cuarto River is a river of Argentina which crosses the southern part of the Province of Córdoba, and merges with the Tercero River to form the Carcarañá River...

, Iguazú

Iguazu River

The Iguazu River is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is long, with a drainage basin of .-Course:...

, Salado del Sur, Gualeguay

Gualeguay River

The Gualeguay River is one of the major rivers of the Mesopotamic province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. It is born in the north of the province, in the region between the cities of Federación and San José de Feliciano, and meanders in a general south-southwestward direction across the center of the...

, Nogoyá

Nogoya River

The Nogoya River is a river of Argentina. It is a tributary of the Paraná River, which it joins in a region of wetlands and complex distributaries.-References:...

, Mocoretá

Mocoretá River

The Mocoretá River is a river in the Mesopotamic northeastern region of Argentina. It is born in the southeast of the province of Corrientes, south of Curuzú Cuatiá. It flows south, first turning east and then west until reaching the interprovincial border with Entre Ríos, where it receives the...

, Gualeguaychú

Gualeguaychú River

The Gualeguaychú River The Gualeguaychú River The Gualeguaychú River (Spanish, Río Gualeguaychú is a river in the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. It starts in the center-east of the province, within the Colón Department, and flows south, passing by the city of Gualeguaychú and then emptying into...

, Miriñay

Miriñay River

The Miriñay River is a small river in the province of Corrientes, Argentina. It is born on the eponymous wetlands southeast of the Iberá Wetlands, and flows south for about 200 km until emptying into the Uruguay River near Monte Caseros. Its course runs along a wide alluvial plain.-See...

, Aguapey

Aguapey River

The Aguapey River is a river of Argentina. It is a tributary of the Uruguay River.-See also:*List of rivers of Argentina-References:* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....

, Negro

Negro River (Chaco)

The Negro River or Black River in Chaco Province, Argentina. It crosses the Chaco National Park and flows southeast...

, Guaycurú, San Javier

San Javier River (Santa Fe)

The San Javier River is an anabranch of the Paraná River in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina.-Course:...

, Guayquiraró

Guayquiraró River

The Guayquiraró River is a river in the Mesopotamic northeastern region of Argentina. It is born in the middle section of the border between the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes, fed from several streams on its right-hand basin...

 and Samborombón

Samborombón River

The Samborombón River is a river of Argentina. It empties into Samborombón Bay in the southern part of the Río de la Plata.-See also:*List of rivers of Argentina-References:...

.

External links

• Association of American States: La Plata Basin
• Map
• Cuenca del Plata at Monografías.com