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Mamoré

(Encyclopedia)Mamoré məmo͝orĕˈ [key], river, c.600 mi (965 km) long, formed by tributaries rising in the Andes and plains of central Bolivia. It flows north, past Trinidad, to the Brazilian border. After formi...

Macapá

(Encyclopedia)Macapá məkəpäˈ [key], city (1996 pop. 214,197), capital of Amapá state, extreme N Brazil, on the Amazon River. Mining is central to its economy. It exports tin iron, gold, and manganese, as well...

Paranaguá

(Encyclopedia)Paranaguá pərənəgwäˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 88,163), Paraná state, SE Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the port for Curitiba, to which it is linked by rail and highway. Founded c.1600, the ...

Patos, Lagoa dos

(Encyclopedia)Patos, Lagoa dos ləgôˈə do͝os päˈto͝os [key] [Port.,=lake of the ducks], shallow tidal lagoon, c.150 mi (240 km) long and up to 30 mi (48 km) wide, Rio Grande do Sul state, SE Brazil. A wide s...

Barbosa, Ruy

(Encyclopedia)Barbosa, Ruy ro͞oˈē bärbōˈsä [key], 1849–1923, Brazilian jurist, writer, and statesman. He was largely responsible for the republican constitution of Brazil and was the champion of law and li...

Dias, Bartolomeu

(Encyclopedia)Dias, Bartolomeu bärˌto͝olo͝omāˈo͝o dēˈəsh [key], d. 1500, Portuguese navigator. He was the first European to round (1488) the Cape of Good Hope, which he called Cabo Tormentoso [cape of sto...

Corumbá

(Encyclopedia)Corumbá ko͝oro͞ombäˈ [key], city, Mato Grosso do Sul state, SW Brazil, on the Paraguay River. A ...

souari

(Encyclopedia)souari or swarri nut, name for tropical trees of the genus Caryocar, abundant in N South America. The fatty “nuts,” botanically drupe fruits, somewhat resemble Brazil nuts but are much larger and ...

electric fish

(Encyclopedia)electric fish, name for various fish that produce electricity by means of organs usually developed from modified muscle tissue. The electric eels of South America are freshwater knifefish unrelated to...

gaucho

(Encyclopedia)gaucho gouˈchō [key], cowboy of the Argentine and Uruguayan pampas (grasslands). The typical gaucho, a familiar figure in the 18th and 19th cent., was a daring, skillful horseman and plainsman. As f...