River, South America.
It is the continent's second longest river (after the Amazon River ) and rises on the plateau of southeast-central Brazil. It flows generally south 3,032 mi (4,880 km) to join the Uruguay River and form the Río de la Plata estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin includes most of southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. From its origin at the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers to its junction with the Paraguay River , it is known as the Alto (Upper) Paraná. Completion of the Itaipú Dam between Paraguay and Brazil in the 1980s submerged the massive Guaíra Falls and created a large reservoir.