Rio de la Plata is the estuary formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. It is a funnel-shaped indentation on the southeastern coastline of South America, extending 290 km (180 miles) from the rivers` confluence to the Atlantic Ocean.
The basin drained by the main tributaries of the Rio de la Plata covers approximately one fifth of South America, including area in southeastern Bolivia, southern and central Brazil, the entire nation of Paraguay, most of Uruguay and northern Argentina. An estimated 57 million cubic metres of silt is carried into the estuary each year, where the muddy waters are stirred up by winds and the tides.
