(Rio Doce), a river in Brazil. Length, about 600 km; basin area, about 87,000 sq km. It is formed by the confluence of the Piranga and Chopoto rivers, which flow from the northern spurs of the Serra da Mantiqueira. Until the city of Aimorés it flows through a hilly and mountainous area in a bed that has many rapids, forming waterfalls. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Regencia. The minimum water discharge is in winter; in summer there are strong flash floods.