Takutu River Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 3°22′48″N59°48′52″W / 3.38011°N 59.81438°W |
Carries | BR-401 Cars |
Crosses | Takutu River |
Locale | Lethem, Guyana to Bonfim, Brazil |
History | |
Opened | 31 July 2009 |
Location | |
The Takutu River Bridge (Portuguese : Ponte do Rio Tacutu) is a bridge across the Takutu River, linking Lethem in Guyana to Bonfim in Brazil. It was completed in 2009 and opened on 31 July 2009. [1] Its official inauguration was on 14 September 2009, in the presence of leaders of both countries. [2] It cost US$5 million and was paid for by Brazil. [2] The bridge was a project within the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America. [3]
The bridge is the only instance in the Americas of a land border where drivers must change from driving on the left (in Guyana) to driving on the right (in Brazil), or vice versa. The changeover is achieved by means of a crossover bridge on the Guyanese side.
The Branco River is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north.
Roraima is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas to the south and west, Venezuela to the north and northwest, and Guyana to the east.
Lethem is a town in Guyana, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is the regional capital of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo.
The Oyapock or Oiapoque is a 403-kilometre (250 mi) long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá.
The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as Raponani, flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word rapon in the Makushi language, in which it means the black-bellied whistling duck found along the river.
The Rupununi savannah is a savanna plain in Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.
Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo is a region of Guyana. It borders the region of Potaro-Siparuni to the north, the region of East Berbice-Corentyne to the east and Brazil to the south and west. It contains the town of Lethem, and the villages of Aishalton, Nappi and Surama. It is also the largest region of Guyana.
The Takutu River is a river in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana and Roraima in Brazil. It forms part of the boundary between the two countries. The confluence of the Takutu and Uraricoera Rivers forms the Branco River. The Takutu River's sources almost link with those of the Essequibo River; in the rainy season, flooding links the Takutu to the Rupununi River, a tributary of the Essequibo.
Aishalton is an Amerindian village that is situated in the Rupununi savannah of southern Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of the country.
Bonfim is a municipality located in the mideast of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 12,557 and its area is 8,095 km2. The city lies opposite the Takutu River from Lethem, Guyana. The Takutu River Bridge links Bonfim and Roraima with the town of Lethem and the Atlantic port of Georgetown, Guyana.
Brazil–Guyana relations have traditionally been close. Brazil has provided military assistance to Guyana in the form of warfare training and logistics. Bilateral relations between the countries have recently increased, as a result of Brazil's new South–South foreign policy aimed to strengthen South American integration.
The Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA) is a development plan to link South America's economies through new transportation, energy, and telecommunications projects.
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic mainland British West Indies. Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the country's largest city. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With a land area of 214,969 km2 (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. The official language of the country is English, although a large part of the population is bilingual in English and the indigenous languages. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and very high biodiversity. The country also hosts a part of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world.
The Franco-Brazilian Binational Bridge spans the Oyapock River, linking the cities of Oiapoque in Amapá, Brazil and Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana, France. The bridge is cable-stayed, with two towers rising to a height of 83 metres (272 ft) and a length of 378 metres (1,240 ft). There are two lanes for vehicles with a total width of 9 metres (30 ft) and a pedestrian sidewalk with a width of 2.50 metres. The vertical clearance under the bridge is 15 metres (49 ft).
The North Rupununi District in located in south-west Guyana consisting of a mixture of forest, savannah and wetlands ecosystems and is considered one of the most diverse areas in South America. Located on the eastern margin of the larger savannah system which extends into Brazil and is separated by the Ireng and Takutu rivers that come together to form the Rio Branco. The Guyana Rupununi system is divided into the North and South Rupununi by the Kanuku Mountains.
Guyana occurs within the northern part of the Guiana Shield. The Guiana Shield forms the northern part of the Amazonian Craton, the core of the South American continent.
St. Ignatius is an Amerindian village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region of Guyana, near the regional capital Lethem and the border of Brazil. It was originally a mission founded by Jesuit priests to serve the Amerindians in the Rupununi savannah.
BR-401 is a federal highway in the state of Roraima in Brazil. The 202.9 km (126.1 mi) road connects Boa Vista with Normandia and the road network of Guyana.
Katoonarib is a village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. Katoonarib is inhabited by Wapishana, Macushi and other Amerindians. It is located near the Rupununi River. The main language spoken in the village is Wapishana with English as secondary language.