The Paraíba do Sul Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁiu paɾaˈibɐ du ˈsuw], or simply termed Paraíba, is a river in the south-east of Brazil. It flows 1,137[1] kilometres west to northeast from its farthest source at the source of the river Paraitinga to the sea near Campos. The river receives its name when it meets the river Paraibuna at the Paraibuna dam.
Its main tributaries are the rivers Jaguari, Buquira, Paraibuna, Preto, Pomba and Muriaé. These last two are the longest and join the main river 140 kilometres and 50 kilometres from the mouth respectively .
The valley of the Paraíba do Sul is porrathe latitudes 20°26' and 23°39'S and the longitudes of 41° and 46°30'W and covers an area of about 57,000 km² distributed over three states. The main economic activities are industry and cattle raising.
Presently only two parts of the river can be navigated:
Elsewhere navigation is hampered by various obstacles; waterfalls, rapids, sections with great declivity and various hydroelectric works with no locks. Other factors impeding navigation are the existence of highway and railway bridges, the proximity of roads and railways following the riverbank and the location of several cities on its banks.
The Paraíba Valley is very fertile and has always been a region of relatively dense population. Cities located on or near the river are
Note: Some of them are in Portuguese.