Río de la Plata at a glance
- 9 maverage depth
- 8 mmedian depth
- 32 mmaximum depth
- 31,106 km²water area
Río de la Plata is a gulf. It is very shallow: nowhere in it is deeper than a few tens of metres in the grid. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 31,106 km² of water, with an average depth of about 9 m (the middle value is 8 m) and a maximum of 32 m, found at 34.99° S, 55.11° W.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Río de la Plata?
The bar splits the Río de la Plata's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 100%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 0%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 0%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Argentine Basin (1,204 km), Argentine Abyssal Plain (1,433 km), San Antonio Canyon (1,559 km), Brazil's Atlantis (1,924 km).
The Río de la Plata if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Río de la Plata's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 18,992 km² | 61.1% |
| 20 m | 30,232 km² | 97.2% |
| 50 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 80 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 120 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 200 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 500 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 1,000 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 2,000 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 3,000 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 4,000 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 31,106 km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
Nearby seas
- Bellingshausen Sea average depth about 524 m
- Weddell Sea average depth about 1,552 m
- Amundsen Sea average depth about 603 m
- Caribbean Sea average depth about 2,547 m
- Ross Sea average depth about 2,026 m
- Sargasso Sea average depth about 5,394 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Río de la Plata?
On average about 9 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 8 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 32 m, at 34.99° S, 55.11° W.
How big is the Río de la Plata?
About 31,106 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the Río de la Plata would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 18,992 km² (61.1%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the gulf. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.