Branco

Branco (meaning White in Portuguese and Galician) may refer to:

Places

Brazil

Cape Verde

Spain

Italy

Uruguay

Other uses

See also

Branco River

The Branco River (Portuguese: Rio Branco; Engl: White River) is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north. It is enriched by many streams from the Tepui highlands which separate Venezuela and Guyana from Brazil. Its two upper main tributaries are the Uraricoera and the Takutu. The latter almost links its sources with those of the Essequibo.

The Branco flows nearly south, and finds its way into the Negro through several channels and a chain of lagoons similar to those of the latter river. It is 350 miles (560 km) long, up to its Uraricoera confluence. It has numerous islands, and, 235 miles (378 km) above its mouth, it is broken by a bad series of rapids.

The river is referred to as "branco" (white) because of inorganic sediments carried in the water.Alfred Russel Wallace mentions this peculiar coloration in "On the Rio Negro," a paper read at the 13 June 1853 meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, in which he says: "[The Rio Branco] is white to a remarkable degree, its waters being actually milky in appearance." Alexander von Humboldt attributed the color to the presence of silicates in the water, principally mica and talc. There is a visible contrast with the waters of the Rio Negro at the confluence of the two rivers, the Rio Negro's waters being darkened by suspended organic debris containing tannin and humic acid.

Branco (footballer)

Cláudio Ibrahim Vaz Leal (born 4 April 1964 in Bagé, Brazil), better known as Branco, is former Brazilian footballer who played as a left back. A member of the triumphant Brazilian team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Branco was a renowned free kick specialist (as was his international successor, Roberto Carlos) known for the habit of placing the valve of the ball in the direction that he wanted the free kick to go.

Club career

On the club level, Branco played for Internacional (1980–81), Fluminense (1981–86)(94)(99), Brescia (1986–88), FC Porto (1988–91), Genoa (1991–93), Grêmio (1992–94), Flamengo (1995), Corinthians (1995), Middlesbrough (1996), and MetroStars (1997). Branco's late career in England and the United States was marred by weight problems.

During his spell at Middlesbrough he scored twice, both goals coming against Hereford in the League Cup second round, once at home in the first leg and once away in the second. However, he played just nine times in the FA Premier League and by Christmas 1996 he had left the club on a free transfer after less than a year.