WORKSHEET 71: Itaipu Dam

The Itaipu Dam can be found on the River Parana between Brazil and Paraguay. Brazil is the biggest country in South America. 

South America Map reproduced from the Oxford Practical Atlas with permission from Oxford University Press.

The Parana region in Brazil

The Itaipu Dam is located in the Parana region in Brazil close to the Iguassu Falls. It is one of the World's largest hydro-electric power stations.

The dam and reservoir (lake) behind the dam were built for many reasons. One reason was because there had been a lot of droughts in Brazil and Paraguay. Water is stored in the reservoir so that the people living in Brazil and Paraguay have clean, fresh water to drink.

The water from the reservoir is used to supply homes and factories for the south, southeastern and mid-eastern regions of Brazil. It also supplies water to many homes and factories in Paraguay.

The dam is 7.76km long and 196 metres high. It is the same height as a building with 62 floors.

The reservoir behind the dam is 1350km in size (area) and holds 29 billion tons of water.

The dam and reservoir cost a lot of money to build ($20 billion). Building a dam and reservoir is expensive as you need a lot of people to make it and you need lots of bricks, stones and concrete.

About 30 000 people worked on the construction of the Itaipu Dam.

It took 8 years to build the Itaipu Dam and it was built by the Paraguay and Brazilian governments together.

Farmers can use the water from the reservoir to irrigate (water) their crops. They can also use the water for their cattle and animals to drink. The farmers can also collect water from the River Parana as some of the gates in the Itaipu Dam are left open so that the water level in the River Parana is the same level throughout the year.

People can also visit the Iguassu National Park which is close to the reservoir to look at the wildlife there. Without the reservoir and the dam, people would not have been able to see the wildlife in this area as there was no road and it was difficult to travel there.                                                                

The Itaipu Dam and reservoir, from the Brazilian side

Sometimes the dam can get blocked with mud and silt and it is expensive to clean the dam out. Also this mud and silt can encourage diseases in the water in the reservoir. Unless the water in the reservoirs cleaned, people can get these diseases.

The land behind the dam and reservoir had to be flooded. A lot of this land was rainforest and the trees had to be cut down. Many parrots and animals died because their homes in the trees were destroyed.

Many jobs were created for people to build the dam and reservoir. Also many other jobs in tourism were created. Jobs were created for people to show visitors around the Iguassu National Park, the Iguassu Falls and the reservoir. Other jobs were created in souvenir shops. 

The dam is also a hydroelectric power station. The dam has 18 turbines or engines in the dam wall. These turbines turn round by the movement of the water and make electricity. This electricity is transported by cables to homes and factories in Brazil and Paraguay. Without electricity people would not be able to watch television, use fridges and cookers and much more. There would also be no lights.