São Francisco

Major river in eastern Brazil, rising in the Serra da Canastra in the state of Minas Gerais; length 3,200 km/1,988 mi. From its source, the São Francisco flows northeast, then east, before finally turning south to enter the Atlantic Ocean 80 km/50 mi north of Aracaju, in Sergipe state. With its tributaries, the São Francisco forms South America's third-largest drainage basin, and is the main route of access into the interior of eastern Brazil.

On its course, the river falls nearly 900 m/2,953 ft, mostly over waterfalls in its lower reaches. As a result, only the upper reaches are used for navigation and there is no shipping outlet to the sea. The Paulo Afonso Falls, where there is a major hydroelectric project, are some 250 km/155 mi from the sea.