Paracatu River

The Paracatu River (Portuguese: Rio Paracatu) is located mainly in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It is the longest tributary of the São Francisco, draining a basin of about 45,000 km², including 21 municipalities and the Federal District. The basin is almost completely located in the state of Minas Gerais (19 municipalities), including only three municipalities in the state of Goiás.

Paracatu River
Location
Country	Brazil
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Goiás state
Mouth	São Francisco River
• location	Minas Gerais state
• coordinates	16.5700°S 45.1075°W / -16.5700; -45.1075
Length	485 km (301 mi)
Basin size	45,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi)

The river has a length of 485 kilometres (301 mi). Its main tributary, the Preto, has its source in Lagoa Feia near Formosa in the state of Goiás and it forms the boundary with the Federal District.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology

"Paracatu" comes from the Tupi language. Originally parakatu the name comes from a junction of the words para, meaning "river" and katu meaning "good" or "clean".^[1]