TOCANTINS RIVER

Portuguese Rio Tocantins river that rises in several headstreams, including the Paran and Maranho rivers, on the central plateau in Gois state, Brazil. It flows northward through Gois and then Tocantins states until it receives the Manuel Alves Grande River. Looping westward, it marks the boundary of Tocantins and Maranho states as far as its junction with the Araguaia River. The Tocantins again turns northward and flows into the Par River, a navigable arm of the Amazon River delta, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The Tocantins is of little use for navigation, for its 1,677-mile (2,699-kilometre) course is frequently interrupted by rapids and waterfalls.