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The principal river which cuts through this
region is the Negro, tributary of the Amazon which,
before it enters Brazil, is called the Guainía and separates
Colombia from Venezuela. In its upper course, it receives
the waters of the Içana and Uaupés (called the Vaupés
in Colombia) on the right bank. The Rio Negro basin
also includes the Apapóris River and its tributaries,
an almost entirely Colombian tributary of the Caquetá,
since it flows into the latter after passing along a
small portion of the border with Brazil. From then on
down, the Caquetá is known as the Japurá.
The headwaters of the hydrographic basin of
the Içana River are in Colombia, but shortly after it
delimits the border with Brazil, running through Brazilian
territory in a southwesterly direction after a short
stretch. The length of the Içana River is about 696
kilometers. The Uaupés River by contrast is about 1,375
kilometers in length. After the Rio Branco, the Uaupés
is the largest tributary of the Rio Negro and, along
its course, it also receives the waters of other large
rivers, such as the Tiquié, the Papuri, the Querari
and the Cuduiari. Above the mouth of the Uaupés is an
area formed by the Xié River and the upper course of
the Rio Negro.
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The greater part of the region consists of Union
lands (Indigenous Lands and a National Park). The present
indigenous population makes up at least 90% of the total,
although more than two centuries of contact and commerce
between the native peoples and the “whites” has forced
many Indians to migrate to the Lower Rio Negro or to
the cities of Manaus and Belém, as well as having led
people from other origins to establish themselves there.
The presence of northeasterners, people from Pará, and
people from other parts of Brazil and the Amazon is
concentrated in the few regional urban centers.
In Brazil, the ethnic groups of the upper Rio
Negro are located on eight Indigenous Lands – five of
which have been ratified and are contiguous, two yet
to be identified and one in the process of identification
– located in the Amazonian municipalities of São Gabriel
da Cachoeira, Japurá and Santa Isabel.
| Ratified Indigenous Lands |
Total Area (Km²) |
| Upper Rio Negro |
79,993 |
| Middle Rio Negro I |
17.761 |
| Middle Rio Negro II |
3.162 |
| Apapóris River |
1.069 |
| Téa River |
4.118 |
| TOTAL |
106.103 |
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It is possible to state that on the Upper and Middle
Rio Negro there are presently 732 villages, varying in
size from small settlements inhabited by only one couple
to large villages and settlements scattered along the
rivers of the region. The census of the indigenous population
of the region has recorded a total of approximately 31
thousand Indians, a number which includes those who live
in the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira (around eight
thousand in 1996) and Santa Isabel (around three thousand
in 1996). The following table shows how the population
of the various ethnic groups is distributed:
| Sub-regions(*) |
Population(*) |
| Uaupés (including Traíra) |
9.290 |
| Içana |
5.141 |
| Rio Negro (Upper) and Xié |
3.276 |
| Rio Negro (Middle) |
14.839 |
| TOTAL |
31.625 |
* Data from 2000, including non-indigenous population
of the cities.
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