page_title: São Francisco River
section_title: Navigability
hierarchical_section_title: São Francisco River / Navigability
caption_attribution_description: Português: Cânions no Rio São Francisco, na cidade de Canindé de São Francisco, Sergipe. Foto feita por drone
context_page_description: The São Francisco River or Rio São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of 2,914 kilometres, it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil. It used to be known as the Opara by the indigenous people before colonisation, and is today also known as Velho Chico.
  The São Francisco originates in the Canastra mountain range in the central-western part of the state of Minas Gerais. It runs generally north in the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, behind the coastal range, draining an area of over 630,000 square kilometres, before turning east to form the border between Bahia on the right bank and the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas on the left one. After that, it forms the boundary between the states of Alagoas and Sergipe and washes into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to the five states which the São Francisco directly traverses or borders, its drainage basin also includes tributaries from the state of Goiás and the Federal District.
context_section_description: The São Francisco is naturally navigable all through the year between Pirapora (Minas Gerais) and the twin cities of Petrolina (Pernambuco) and Juazeiro (Bahia), a length of 1,371 kilometres (852 mi). However, there are large variations in depth depending on the rainfall. Because of the diversity of physical characteristics over the course of the navigable stretch, it may be divided into three substretches, as follows:
  From Pirapora to Pilão Arcado (Bahia), a length of 1,015 kilometres (631 mi); differences in height up to 6 metres (20 ft) may occur due to rains and drought.
  From Pilão Arcado to the Sobradinho Dam; the latter's reservoir is 314 kilometres (195 mi) long, with a surface area of 4,214 square kilometres (1,627 sq mi) and a comfortable depth.
  From the Sobradinho dam to Petrolina/Juazeiro, with a length of 42 kilometres (26 mi) and an average depth of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), sustained by a flow of 1,500 m³/s (53,000 cu ft/s).
  Until recent years, the São Francisco was regularly navigated by a type of passenger boat called gaiola (Portuguese for "cage"). These were paddle-wheel steamboats, some of them having been Mississippi riverboats and dating from the time of the American Civil War. After the Sobradinho dam was built in Bahia, the conditions of navigability were altered considerably, since the reservoir's large size allowed for the formation of short waves of considerable height. Although the dam has a navigation lock, the waves and currents made traversing the lake difficult for the gaiolas. At the same time, deforestation and excessive agricultural use of the upper-course waters of the São Francisco and its tributaries greatly reduced the water flow in the middle course, creating sand banks and islands that hindered navigation.
  In a short time, conditions were such that navigation became impossible for the large gaiolas, although still possible for smaller boats. The shells of those old riverboats can still be seen on the river at Pirapora. As of 2009, a single boat, the Benjamim Guimarães, remains in activity, making short-distance tourist cruises from Pirapora to São Romão and back.
caption: A river canyon on the São Francisco river.
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