Meeting of Waters

For other uses, see Meeting of the Waters.

The Meeting of Waters is the confluence of the dark Rio Negro with the sandy colored upper Amazon River, or Solimões, as it is known in Brazil.

Aerial view of The Meeting of Waters looking west, just after departure from Manaus, Brazil.

The Meeting of Waters (Portuguese: Encontro das Águas) is the confluence between the Rio Negro, a river with dark (almost black-looking) water, and the sandy-colored Amazon River or Rio Solimões, as the upper section of the Amazon is known in Brazil upriver of this confluence. For 6 km (3.7 mi) the two rivers' waters run side by side without mixing. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Manaus, Brazil. The same also happens near Santarém, Pará with the Amazon and Tapajós rivers. This phenomenon occurs in other regions of the world with differing characters of rivers.

This phenomenon is due to the differences in temperature, speed and water density of the two rivers. The Rio Negro flows at near 2 km per hour at a temperature of 28°C, while the Rio Solimões flows between 4 to 6 km per hour at a temperature of 22°C.

See also

• Water
• Hydrogen bond