| Teles Pires River | |
| Name Other: | São Manuel River |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Brazil |
| Length: | 1370km (850miles)[1] |
| Discharge1 Avg: | (Period: 1970-2000)3960.8m3/s[2] |
| Source1 Location: | Mato Grosso Plateau, Mato Grosso State |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -14.8694°N -54.648°W |
| Mouth: | Tapajós River |
| Mouth Location: | Mato Grosso State |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -7.3503°N -58.1383°W |
| Basin Size: | 141987km2[3] |
| Discharge2 Location: | Três Marias, Pará State, Mato Grosso State (Basin size: 137485km2 |
| Discharge2 Min: | [4] |
| Discharge2 Avg: | (Period of data: 1970-1996)3978m3/s[5] (Period: 1970-2000)[6] (Period: 1976-2008)[7] |
| Discharge2 Max: | [8] |
| Discharge3 Location: | Indeco, Mato Grosso State (Basin size: 51277km2 |
| Discharge3 Avg: | (Period of data: 1970-1996)1178m3/s |
The Teles Pires (pt|Rio São Manuel) is a 1370km (850miles) long river in Brazil.[1] The river flows through the state of Mato Grosso and its lower part marks the border between the states of Mato Grosso and Pará. At its mouth it joins Juruena River and together they form the Tapajós, which is one of the biggest tributaries of the Amazon River. The most important settlement along the river is Alta Floresta. One writer says that it was originally called the Paranatinga, and was renamed after Captain Telles Pires who died exploring the river in 1889.[9]
Several dams are planned on the river in the "Hidrovia Tapajos/Teles Pires" project to create a navigable waterway connecting the interior of Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. The waterway will consist of five dams on the Teles Pires river (Magessi Dam, Sinop Dam, Colíder Dam, Teles Pires Dam, Sao Manoel Dam) and the Foz do Apiacas Dam on the Apiacas river.
The Colíder Dam and the Teles Pires Dam are currently under construction, while the smaller upstream dams are still in the planning stages.[10]