The Aconcagua River is a river in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

that rises from the conflux of two minor tributary rivers at above sea level in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

Juncal River The Juncal River is a river of Chile. It has its source at the Juncal Norte Glacier, which originates at the summit of the Nevado Juncal. The upper Juncal River watershed is 220 square kilometers in area, of which 137.96 square kilometers is with ...

from the east (which rise in the

Nevado Juncal Location Nevado Juncal is a mountain at the border of Argentina and Chile, at the head of Aconcagua Val. It has a height of . It's located at La Yesera, Los Andes Department, Valparaíso Region, at the Central Andes. The mountain hosts seve ...

) and Blanco River from the south east. The Aconcagua river flows westward through the broad Aconcagua valley and enters the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

near the city of Concon, north of

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

. The river has a course of about , and its waters irrigate the most populous sections of the Chilean provinces of San Felipe de Aconcagua and Los Andes, being the most important economic resource of those regions. During the course of the Aconcagua river, it receives contributions from many others rivers and swamps, reaching a mean flow of . The Aconcagua River valley was used as the route of the

Transandine Railway The Transandine Railway ( es, Ferrocarril Trasandino) was a combined rack ( Abt system) and adhesion railway which operated from Mendoza in Argentina, across the Andes mountain range via the Uspallata Pass, to Santa Rosa de Los Andes in Chi ...

on the Chilean side. The river flows alongside

Chile Route 5 Chile Highway 5 or Route 5 known locally as ''Ruta 5'' is Chile's longest route, . It is part of the Pan-American Highway. Stretch It runs from the Peruvian border connecting with Peru Highway 1 north of Arica to Puerto Montt where it connects ...

from

Llaillay Llay-Llay is a town and commune in the San Felipe de Aconcagua Province of central Chile's Valparaíso Region. History The commune was established on 6 April 1875 during the government of President Federico Errázuriz Zañartu, A railway station ...

to La Calera. For much of their lengths, the two separate stretches of

Chile Route 60 Chile Route 60 is a main road in the Valparaíso Region of Chile that extends from Valparaíso to Paso Los Libertadores. It continues into Argentina as National Route 7, toward Mendoza. The Route 60 is made up of two separate stretches of roa ...

follow the course of the river. Although it has the same name, the Aconcagua river does not rise in the slopes of

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the Southern Hemisphere with a summi ...

, which is entirely in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

about from the beginning of the river, in Chilean territory.

Tributaries

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

Estero Pocuro The Estero Pocuro is a river of Chile. See also *List of rivers of Chile This list of rivers of Chile includes all the major rivers of Chile. See each article for their tributaries, drainage areas, etc. Usually significant tributaries appear in ...

Putaendo River The Putaendo River is a river of Chile. See also *List of rivers of Chile This list of rivers of Chile includes all the major rivers of Chile. See each article for their tributaries, drainage areas, etc. Usually significant tributaries appear in ...

Estero Quilpué The Estero Quilpué is a river of Chile tributary of Estero Marga Marga in the Valparaíso Region, Chile. See also *List of rivers of Chile This list of rivers of Chile includes all the major rivers of Chile. See each article for their tribut ...

Estero Catemu The Estero Catemu is a river of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip ...

Estero Los Loros The Estero Los Loros is a river of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow str ...

Estero Los Litres The Estero Los Litres or Estero El Melón is an estuary of Chile that crosses the Valparaíso Region and disembogues in the Aconcagua River. See also *List of rivers of Chile This list of rivers of Chile includes all the major rivers of Chile. S ...

Estero Limache The Estero Limache is a river of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip ...

References

*Niemeyer, Hans; Cereceda, Pilar (1983), Geografía de Chile — Tomo VIII: Hidrografía, 1º edición, Santiago de Chile: Instituto Geográfico Militar. *Gobierno de Chile, Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Dirección General de Aguas (2004) Cuenca del Río Aconcagua, Diagnóstico y Clasificación de los Cursos y Cuerpos de Agua Según Objetivos de Calidad

External links

Aconcagua River Map
Rivers of Chile Rivers of Valparaíso Region Venues of the 2023 Pan and Parapan American Games {{Chile-river-stub