Baro River
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| Baro River Openo | |
|---|---|
 Akobo Bridge in Gambela | |
 Sobat River basin showing the Baro River | |
| Native name | ባሮ ወንዝ (Amharic) |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Birbir River |
| • location | Dibdib, Ethiopia |
| • coordinates | 7°42′04″N 35°52′44″E / 7.701°N 35.879°E |
| • elevation | 2,367 m (7,766 ft) |
| 2nd source | Gebba River |
| • location | Acchiscio, Ethiopia |
| • coordinates | 7°47′13″N 35°50′38″E / 7.787°N 35.844°E |
| • elevation | 2,267 m (7,438 ft) |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Seriti, Ethiopia |
| • coordinates | 8°14′28″N 34°57′39″E / 8.2411°N 34.9609°E |
| • elevation | 557 m (1,827 ft) |
| Mouth | Sobat River |
• location | Jikmir, South Sudan |
• coordinates | 8°26′05″N 33°13′13″E / 8.4346°N 33.2202°E |
• elevation | 404 m (1,325 ft) |
| Length | 306 km (190 mi), 560 km (350 mi) (including tributaries) |
| Basin size | 41,400 km2 (16,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Mouth |
| • average | 241 m3/s (8,500 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 77.98 m3/s (2,754 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 634.41 m3/s (22,404 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Sobat River → White Nile → Nile → Mediterranean Sea |
| River system | Nile Basin |
| Population | 3,260,000 |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Birbir, Alwero |
| • right | Gebba, Jikawo |
The Baro River (Amharic: ባሮ ወንዝ) or Baro/Openo Wenz, known to the Anuak as Openo River, is a river in southwestern Ethiopia, which defines part of Ethiopian border with South Sudan. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands it flows west for 306 kilometres (190 mi) to join the Pibor River. The Baro-Pibor confluence marks the beginning of the Sobat River, a tributary of the White Nile.[1]
The Baro and its tributaries drain a watershed 41,400 km2 (16,000 sq mi) in size. The river's mean annual discharge at its mouth is 241 m³/s (8,510 ft³/s).[2]
The Baro/Openo river is created by the confluence of the Birbir and Gebba Rivers, east of Metu in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region. It then flows west through the Gambela Region to join with the Pibor River, both of them creating the Sobat. Other notable tributaries of the Baro/Openo include the Alwero and Jikawo Rivers. The Baro meets the Pibor river to the west of Jikawo. During the rainy season the river floods to form a huge inundated area to the east and south of Jikawo, previously penetrating as far as Abobo and Gog to the east and south-east. Baro is the wettest lowland river and the most navigable. The Khor Machar is a distributary of the Baro which feeds the Machar Marshes.
Natural history
Of the Sobat River's tributaries, the Baro/Openo River is by far the largest, contributing 83% of the total water flowing into the Sobat. During the rainy season, between June and October, the Baro River alone contributes about 10% of the Nile's water at Aswan, Egypt. In contrast, these rivers have very low flow during the dry season.[3]