{{Short description|River in Brazil and Guyana}} thumb|The Orinduik Falls on the Ireng River on the border between Guyana and Brazil The '''Ireng River''' (or '''Maú River''', generally used in Portuguese) forms part of Guyana's western border with Brazil.<ref name=Ireng>{{cite web|title=Barbosa, R.I.; Nascimento, S.P.; Weiduschat, A.A.; Bonatto, F. 2013. Notes on an exploratory expedition to the headwaters of the Mau (Ireng) river, Northern Brazilian Amazon. Boletim do Museu Integrado de Roraima, 7(2): 45-54.|url=https://www.academia.edu/5826189|access-date=2 January 2014}}</ref> One of the northernmost tributaries of the Amazon River, it is the only major river in Guyana that flows from north to South. It flows through the valleys of the Pakaraima Mountains.
The sources of the river are in the {{convert|116748|ha}} Monte Roraima National Park, created in 1989.<ref>{{citation|ref={{harvid|Unidade de Conservação ... MMA}}|language=Portuguese |title=Unidade de Conservação: Parque Nacional do Monte Roraima|publisher=MMA: Ministério do Meio Ambiente |url=http://sistemas.mma.gov.br/cnuc/index.php?ido=relatorioparametrizado.exibeRelatorio&relatorioPadrao=true&idUc=174|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> The larger part of the Ireng River basin forms the frontier between Brazil and Guyana. Ireng's main tributaries are the Uailan and Canã rivers on the Brazilian side and the Cacó, Dacã and Socobi rivers on the Guyanese side. All of these rivers merge with the upper and middle sections of the Ireng. Their courses are through breathtaking formations of sedimentary rocks formed by tectonic movements in ancient times. The Ireng River's waters are dark, bearing a striking resemblance to that of Rio Negro near Manaus, in Brazilian state of Amazonas.
It is considered to be one of the most picturesque of Guyana's many rivers. Orinduik Falls and Takagka Falls are located on the Ireng River. thumb|Rainbow whiptail
==Etymology== Etymologically, the term ″Ireng″ comes from the Karib language, whereas ″Maú″ comes from the Lokono word ''Mahu'', which is how the plant ''Sterculia pruriens'' (a malvaceae abundant in the Amazon) is known to the indigenous people of the region.<ref>Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. ''Ethnographie und Sprachenkunde Amerika's zumal Brasiliens''. Ed. Fleischer, Leipzig. 1867. Retrieved: Dezember 8, 2023</ref> Another explanation suggests that ''Mahu'' comes from ''Mehru'', which means "fall" and Ireng translates to "river", hence "river of the falls".<ref>[https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=1e36fed257e321c3e63e58eba8beec31c6708eb2 Notes on an exploratory expedition to the headwaters of the Mau (Ireng) river, Northern Brazilian Amazon]. Retrieved: Dezember 8, 2023</ref>
==Biodiversity in the Ireng== The Ireng River region is home to such reptile species as the Antilles leaf-toed gecko (''Hemidactylus palaichthus'') and rainbow whiptail (''Cnemidophorus lemniscatus''); amphibians such as the sapo dorado (''Bufo guttatus'') and ''Leptodactylus bolivianus''; birds including the Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata''), black vulture (''Coragyps atratus''), crested caracara (''Caracara plancus''), double-striped thick-knee (''Burhinus bistriatus'') and numerous others; mammals include the South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), jaguar (''Panthera onca'') and the red-rumped agouti (''Dasyprocta leporina'').<ref name="Ireng"/> thumb|left|Black vulture thumb|Crested caracara
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{commons category}}{{Rivers of Guyana}}
Category:Rivers of Guyana Category:Brazil–Guyana border Category:International rivers of South America Category:Rivers of Roraima Category:Border rivers