The river Paranaíba is the main formador of the river Paraná. It is born in the mountain of the Forest of the Rope, municipal district of Paranaíba, state of Minas Gerais, in the altitude of 1.148m; in the against-slope of this mountain, they meet the nascent of the river Abaeté, tributary of the river San Francisco. He/she has 1.070Km of course approximately to the junction to the Big river, where both start to form the river Paraná, in the point that marks the encounter among the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso of the South.

 
    The river Paranaíba is known mainly by its wealth diamantífera and for the great hidroelectric possibilities  that it presents.
It is divided in three different spaces:
High Paranaíba
    From the heads to the Km 700, with 370Km of extension. It travels, with orientation general northern, extensive area of Minas Gerais, in the medium altitude of 760m, with declividade of 25cm/Km, crosses the municipal district and city of Ducks of Minas in an altitude of 770m, receiving small flowing that go down of Magalhães' espigão and of the mountain of Barbaça, buttresses of the mountain of the Forest of the Rope.

    By the Km 729 it receives the small tributary Green river, close to the place of   Contend (GO) and changes direction in this point, almost in right angle, in Southwest direction, becoming the emblem between Minas and Goiás. Among them Km 700 and 800 presents declividade of 50cm/Km, running in it is worth of medium width, with narrowings accentuated among them Km 730-732 and 783-790. The marginal lands are smoothly wavy and little cultivated.

Medium Paranaíba
    From the Km 700 to the dam of Gold Waterfall (Km 330), with 370Km of extension. Between the Km 575 and 700, receives the following  flowing: in the Km 661, for the right margin, the river São Marcos; in the Km 633, for the left margin, the river Partridges; in the Km 596, for the left margin, the river Baggage. In this pull, the river runs with declividade of 1,2 m/Km in an area of you are generally worth straits, plenty inserted, with steep margins, rising between 25 and 60m. The tributaries of this space cross zones diamantíferas of the Mining Triangle and Goiás.

    Between the Km 313 and 575 Paranaíba receives the following ones flowing: in the right margin the river Veríssimo, the river Corumbá (in the Km 436) and the river Santa Maria; in the left margin, the river Jordão, Araguari (in the Km 469) and him Ribeirão of the Pity. In this pull the river has a declividade of 50cm/Km and they go by the cities of Itumbiara (Km 392) and Anhanguera (Km 535), both in territory Goiano. The river presents gutter relatively it releases, cultivated of 20 to 50% of its area and he/she begins to run, in the Km 400, for on the knowledge it spills basaltic of the basin of Paraná.

Low Paranaíba
    From the Dam of Gold Waterfall to the fork with the Big river with 330Km of extension. Between the Km 195 and 330, has declividade of 33cm/Km, in the limit of this space, use hidrelétrico of the Gold Waterfall exists, belonging to the Central ones Electric of Goiás (CELG), with generating usina of 443 thousand KW and 19 m of fall, that it supplies electric energy for Brasília and Goiânia. Its dam extends for about 78Km along medium Paranaíba.
    In the pull among the Km  195, it meets the called Channel of São Simão, narrows throat cut in the basalt, with 23 Km of total extension 35m of depth, placed in the limit of the states of Minas and Goiás. In this space he/she locates São Simão's hidrelétrica, that is in operation, generating 2.680 mw.
To three kilometers above the bridge of BR-31 o'clock, Paranaíba, measuring 3.500m obliquely,  hurries in a channel of 300m of width, that soon lower he/she/it just reduces the 80m, provoking great turbulence, strong water wheels and high-speeds of   current.

 
    The river Paranaíba is just navigable in the immobility of the dam of Ilha Solteira, in an extension from 180Km to São Simão's dam. From the mouth to the end of the immobility of Emborcação, it wins a difference of 262m in five uses: They are Simão, Gold Waterfall, Itumbiara, Anhanguera and Emborcação.

    As well as Rio Grande, it presents difficulties in the inplant of the sailing, such as: elevated falls, deflections of accentuated levels and immobilities of a dam that   doesn't reach the foot of the next located amount, however, there is a lot it comes being pointed as could be transformed in an important sailing road, interior, that he/she would give access to the most central area of Brazil, besides to the Federal Capital.

    In the heads of its tributaries there are possibilities of connections of the basin of Paraná with the basins of the river Tocantins and  San Francisco.