The Amburayan River is a river in the northeastern portion of island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It originates from the Cordillera mountains and traverses the provinces of

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Admi ...

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...

, and

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital ...

. With a total length of where it empties into the now (West PHILIPPINE Sea) then formerly

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

. The river serves as the boundary between the provinces of Ilocos Sur and La Union.

Source and course

The river's

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

are a

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of smaller creeks along the south of barangay Lubo, in Kibungan. Several other

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

creeks merge with the river as it flows along

Atok ATOK (エイトック /ˈeitokku/ or /ˈeɪtɔːk/) is a Japanese input method editor (IME) produced by JustSystems, a Japanese software company. ATOK is an IME with roots from KTIS (Kana-Kanji Transfer Input System) come with JS-WORD, the Japane ...

and Kapangan. It then flows along the

Sugpon Sugpon, officially the Municipality of Sugpon ( ilo, Ili ti Sugpon; fil, Bayan ng Sugpon), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,930 people. Geography Ba ...

– San Gabriel boundary, the Sugpon– Santol boundary, the Sugpon– Sudipen boundary, the Sudipen– Alilem boundary, the Sudipen–

Tagudin Tagudin, officially the Municipality of Tagudin ( ilo, Ili ti Tagudin; tgl, Bayan ng Tagudin), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,538 people. Etymology ...

boundary, and finally at the Tagudin– Bangar boundary, where its

river mouth A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying ...

is located.

In culture

In the Ilocano epic, '' Biag ni Lam-ang'', the hero Lam-ang came to bathe in the Amburayan, as he was soaked in dirt and blood after a battle with headhunters. Assisted by maidens from a nearby village, he shed the dirt and blood which polluted the river and killed the fish and other animals in the water.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of the Philippines Landforms of Benguet Landforms of Ilocos Sur Landforms of La Union