Special Sub-Topic: The Rio de la Plata Click Here To Play: The Rio de la Plata

Many important cities lie on the Rio de la Plata. Which of these cities does NOT lie on the Rio de la Plata?

Puntas Arenas. Buenos Aires and Montevideo are capitals of Argentina and Uruguay respectively. Buenos Aires lies further in toward the mouth of the Parana River, while Montevideo lies more on the outer edge. Colonia del Sacramento is a lesser-known city in Uruguay.

Obviously, the Rio de la Plata is a Spanish name. What does it mean?

The River of Silver. Plata means 'silver' in Spanish, so the Rio de la Plata means "The River of Silver". Plates is platos (note the 'o'), plants is planta or plante, and plateau is meseta.

Which of these rivers is the largest contributor to the water flow of the Rio de la Plata?

Parana. The Uruguay River joins with the Parana at the mouth of the Parana. The Iguazu River is a tributary of the Parana, and the Paraguay River joins with the Parana before meeting with the Uruguay River.

Is the Rio de la plata considered a gulf or a river?

Both. Some geographers consider it a river. To those who do it is one of the widest rivers in the world, at well over 200 km at its mouth in the Atlantic. Other geographers consider it an estuary, due to its brackish content.

The Rio de la Plata was the site of one of the first battles of World War II. What is the name of the German capital ship that was sunk by Royal Navy forces?

Admiral Graf Spee. The Admiral Graf Spee was pursued into the Rio de la Plata by the other three, the HMS Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles. After being damaged, it put into port at Montevideo, but was forced to leave by local officials due to political pressures. The ship left before critical repairs were completed, and sunk soon after.

Does the Rio de La Plata have its own type of dolphin?

Yes. The Rio de la Plata is home to the La Plata Dolphin. These dolphins are very rare. The Rio de la Plata is also home to many species of fish, turtles and other marine life forms.

Time for a little physical geography - Which of these terms does NOT apply to the water fronts of the Rio de la Plata?

Thermocline. A halocline is a front between salty and fresh water. These form on the bottom and the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. The haloclines of the Rio de la PLata are also pynoclines, which are fronts of different density (in this case caused by the saltiness differences). A salt wedge is a type of estuary in which the water is divided into fresh and salty zones. The Rio de la Plata is an example of this. A thermocline is a boundary between two masses of different temperature - this does not happen in the Rio de la Plata.

Which of these countries is part of the drainage basin of the Rio de la Plata?

Bolivia. The Pilcomayo and Bermejo rivers drain southern Bolivia and are tributaries of the Paraguay River, which is in turn a tributary of the Parana.

The Paraguay river flows through a major wetland area. What is this wetland area?

Pantanal. The Pantanal is one of the world's largest and most important wetland areas. The Paranaiba is a tributary of the Parana. Paraguay is a landlocked South American country, and Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname, another South American country.

Let's finish the quiz with a question about Juan Diaz de Solis, the first European to the see the Rio de la Plata. What happened to him shortly after his incredible discovery?

He was killed by Charruas. The Charrua and Guarani are natives of southern South America. The Charrua live in the area of the Rio de la Plata, and the Guarani live in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay as well as Argentina. The Charrua attacked the expedition and killed him shortly after he discovered the Rio de la Plata.