River, Sao Francisco << `sown` frahn SEE skoo, >> is in eastern Brazil. It rises in the state of Minas Gerais and flows northeast through the state of Bahia. It then turns southeast. The river forms the boundary between Bahia and the state of Pernambuco and then between the states of Sergipe and Alagoas. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean, 1,988 miles (3,199 kilometers) from its source. As the river leaves the mountains in Minas Gerais, it plunges over falls and rapids. Then it is a broad, navigable stream for 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) of its middle course. But 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Atlantic, the river again becomes swift as it tumbles over rapids and the Paulo Afonso Falls. The river is used for transportation and irrigation and for generating hydroelectric power.
