Madeira, << muh DEER uh, >> River is a large branch of the Amazon River and an important trade waterway of South America. Madeira in Portuguese means wood or timber. The river was named for the great amount of driftwood that floats on its waters.
The Madeira begins where several large streams meet on the boundary between Brazil and Bolivia. It flows northeast for about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) before emptying into the Amazon River about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the city of Manaus.
The Madeira River’s mouth is nearly 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide. Ships can sail upstream about 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) until they reach a series of rapids. Twenty of these rapids extend for 230 miles (370 kilometers), with a drop of 475 feet (145 meters). The area near the northern part of the river has rich gold deposits.
One branch of the Madeira is the Rio Teodoro, once called Rio Duvida. This stream is 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) long. Theodore Roosevelt explored the Rio Teodoro in 1914.
