Paulo Afonso Falls is a series of waterfalls on the São Francisco River in the north-east of Brazil adjacent to the city of Paulo Afonso. They stand up to 275ft high. Upstream of the falls, a hydroelectric dam, the Hidrelétrica de Angiquinho blocks the flow of the river. Prior to the damming of the river, the average water flow over the falls was over 100000cuft/s, and floods exceeded 500000cuft/s.The falls consist of a steep rapid that descends approximately 80ft and then drops a main plunge of 260ft into a narrow gorge.The Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex that grew from the original plant was known as Complexo Hidrelétrico de Paulo Afonso in Portuguese, or locally simply as Paulo Afonso. This, and later plants, such as the Hidrelétrica de Xingó downstream, near the town of Piranhas, Alagoas, provide much of the region with electric power.