About: Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ðe la ˈplata], lit. "river of silver"), called River Plate or Platine River in British English and the Commonwealth and La Plata River (occasionally Plata River) in other English-speaking countries, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and forms a funnel-shaped indentation on the southeastern coastline of South America. Depending on the geographer, the Río de la Plata may be considered a river, an estuary, a gulf, or a marginal sea. If considered a river, it is the widest in the world, with a maximum width of 220 kilometres (140 mi).