Apurímac River in the context of "Amazon River"

⭐ In the context of the Amazon River, the Apurímac River is considered…

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Apurímac River

The Apurímac River (Quechua: Apurimaq mayu IPA: [ˈapʊ ˈɾɪmaχ ˈmajʊ]; Spanish: río Apurímac, IPA: [ˈri.o apuˈɾimak]; from Quechua apu 'chief' and rimaq 'the one who speaks, oracle', thus 'the chief oracle') rises from glacial meltwater of the ridge of the Mismi, a 5,597-metre-high (18,363 ft) mountain in the Arequipa Province in the south-western mountain ranges of Peru, 10 km (6.2 mi) from the village Caylloma, and less than 160 km (99 mi) from the Pacific coast. It flows generally northwest past Cusco in narrow gorges with depths of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft), almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, its course interrupted by falls and rapids. Of the six attempts to travel the full length of the Apurímac so far, only two have been successful.

After 730 kilometres (450 mi), the Apurímac joins the Mantaro River and becomes the Ene River, 440 m (1,440 ft) above sea level; then after joining the Perené River at 330 m (1,080 ft) above sea level, it becomes the Tambo River; when it joins the Urubamba at 280 m (920 ft) above sea level the river becomes the Ucayali, which is the main headstream of the Amazon. Sometimes the complete river from its source to its junction with the Ucayali, including the rivers Ene and Tambo, is called "Apurímac", with a total length of 1,070 km (660 mi).

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Apurímac River in the context of Amazon River

The Amazon River (US: /ˈæməzɒn/; Portuguese: rio Amazonas, Spanish: río Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the longest or second-longest river system in the world, a title which is disputed with the Nile.

The headwaters of the Apurímac River on Nevado Mismi had been considered, for nearly a century, the Amazon basin's most distant source until a 2014 study found it to be the headwaters of the Mantaro River on the Cordillera Rumi Cruz in Peru. The Mantaro and Apurímac rivers join, and with other tributaries form the Ucayali River, which in turn meets the Marañón River upstream of Iquitos, Peru, forming what countries other than Brazil consider to be the main stem of the Amazon. Brazilians call this section the Solimões River above its confluence with the Rio Negro forming what Brazilians call the Amazon at the Meeting of Waters (Portuguese: Encontro das Águas) at Manaus, the largest city on the river.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Apurímac River in the context of Nevado Mismi

Mismi is a 5,597-metre (18,363 ft) mountain peak of volcanic origin in the Chila mountain range in the Andes of Peru. A glacial stream on the Mismi was identified as the most distant source of the Amazon River in 1996; this finding was confirmed in 2001 and again in 2007. This claim has been challenged with three locations for the source of the Amazon identified, depending upon the definition of "source." The waters from Mismi flow into the streams Carhuasanta and Apachita, which flow into the Apurímac River. It is a tributary of the Ucayali which later joins the Marañón to form the Amazon proper.

↑ Return to Menu

Apurímac River in the context of Mantaro River

The Mantaro River (Spanish: Río Mantaro, Quechua: Hatunmayu) is a long river running through the central region of Peru. Its Quechua name means "great river". The word "Mantaro" may be a word originally from the Asháninka language, who live downstream along the Ene River. The Mantaro, along with the Apurímac River, are the sources of the Amazon River, depending on the criteria used for definition.

↑ Return to Menu

Apurímac River in the context of Carhuasanta

The Carhuasanta is a small river located in the Arequipa Region of Peru. It is known as the headwaters of the Amazon River. The brook is fed by the winter snows of Nevado Mismi, (5,597 m), some 6,400 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Of all the possible river sources in the Amazon Basin, it is the snow melt of the Carhuasanta that has been calculated by cartographers to be one of the furthermost water sources from the mouth of the Amazon.

The Carhuasanta joins with the Quebrada Apacheta, becoming the Rio Lloqueta. The river has several more name changes before it becomes the Apurímac River. The mining town of Caylloma lies near the junction of four rivers that form the Apurímac river.

↑ Return to Menu