The Pastaza River ( es, Río Pastaza, formerly known as the SumataraEnock, Charles Reginald (1914) ''Ecuador: its ancient and modern history, topography and natural resources, industries and social development'' Charles Scribner's sons, New York
pages 177–178
) is a large

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 drainage ...

to the

Marañón River , name_etymology = , image = Maranon.jpg , image_size = 270 , image_caption = Valley of the Marañón between Chachapoyas ( Leimebamba) and Celendín , map = Maranonrivermap.png , map_size ...

in the northwestern

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

.Ziesler, R. and G.D. Ardizzone, G.D. (1979
"Amazon System"
''Las Aguas Continentales de America Latina / The Inland Waters of Latin America'' (COPESCAL Technical Paper No. 1) Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, , in English and Spanish It has its headwaters in the

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

ian province of Cotapaxi, flowing off the northwestern slopes of the volcano

Cotopaxi Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a ...

and known as the Patate River. The Patate flows south and in

Tungurahua Province Tungurahua ( es, Provincia del Tungurahua, literally ''Province of the Tungurahua''; ) is one of the twenty-four provinces of Ecuador. Its capital is Ambato. The province takes its name from the Tungurahua volcano, which is located within the b ...

it is joined by the Chambo River just upstream from the town of

Baños de Agua Santa Baños de Agua Santa (), commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province of Ecuador. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after the capital Ambato, and is a major tourist center. Baños is known as the " ...

just north of the volcano Mount Tungurahua and becomes the Pastaza.Topographic ma
Baños, Ecuador, Series J721, Sheet 3989 IV, 1:50,000
Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM), Quito, Ecuador, September 2000, reprinted by the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency Seven kilometers east of Baños, it is dammed for the Agoyán hydroelectric project, which has created a silty lagoon by the village of La Cieniga. The Agoyán dam was placed in that location specifically to leave the famous Falls of Agoyán, about 5 km further downstream, intact. After the waterfall the river enters a gorge where there is very fast whitewater with class-4 rapids; it is often used for whitewater

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

although it is not considered to be of the same quality as the

Tena River TENA is a Swedish-based brand of Essity that specializes in products for adults with urinary or fecal incontinence, such as pads and diapers. TENA also produces a youth diaper brand for teenagers and larger children. The company has offices in ...

and is therefore less popular for the sport. From the junction with the Chambo, the Pastaza flows almost due east for about where it then turns south-east, as it is joined by the Topo River.Topographic ma
Rio Negro, Ecuador, Series J721, Sheet 3990 II, 1:50,000
Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM), Quito, Ecuador, June 1996, reprinted by the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency The Troncal Amazonas highway parallels the river from Baños to Puyo, passing through seven tunnels, and four major waterfalls that are touristic destinations for many Ecuadorians (Agoyán and Pailón del Diablo being the most popular.) Just past the town of Santa Inez, the Pastaza River crosses into the province of Pastaza, where it forms the boundary between that province and Morona-Santiago. At the town of Mera, shortly before reaching Puyo, the river exits the mountains and flows into a wide valley, becoming wider and shallower.Topographic map Mera, Ecuador, Series J721, Sheet 3989-I, 1:50,000, Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM), Quito, Ecuador, 1989, a reduced image is available from IGM
After

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

the river becomes

braided Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitão, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of '' Canadian Idol'' in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, after Young Div ...

and

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

s, leaving

oxbows __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a river, ...

and

sloughs A slough ( or ) is a wetland, usually a swamp or shallow lake, often a backwater to a larger body of water. Water tends to be stagnant or may flow slowly on a seasonal basis. In North America, "slough" may refer to a side-channel from or feedi ...

along its route across the Amazonian floodplain. After cutting through Ecuador, the Pastaza passes into

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

at the village of Hito Zoilaluz on Isla ZoilaluzTopographic ma
Checherta, Peru, Series J632, Sheet 1565, 1:100,000
Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN), Lima, Peru, June 1995, reprinted by the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency and flows south into the

near Puerto Industrial.Topographic ma
San Isidro, Peru, Series J632, Sheet 1661, 1:100,000
Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN), Lima, Peru, October 1993, reprinted by the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency

Tributaries

The Pastaza has numerous tributaries, both above and below the hydroelectric dam. These contribute to its rapid flow and to its tendency to flood. On the highway side of the Pastaza, a tributary river occurs about every 3–4 km for a stretch of about 50 km; on the opposite bank, the number of tributaries is slightly lower. The major tributaries are the Chambo, Bobonaza, and Huasaga, also important are the Ambato, the Pindo, and the Puyo.

Economy

There are no major fisheries on the Pastaza River - it is primarily used as a means of transport by canoe. Its rise and fall are rapid and uncertain, and it is shallow and full of sandbanks and snags. Flooding occurs seasonally.

Bridges

In Ecuador, there are very few bridges across the Pastaza. The most significant ones are in Tungurahua province - namely a large span over the exact point of headwaters, just north of Baños, and the secondary span created by the Agoyán dam. After this, bridges tend to be of the suspension type, suitable for foot or small vehicle passage only. However, it is notable that the Pastaza can be forded during the dry season in a 4x4 truck, going across the floodplains below the town of Mera.

References and notes

{{Reflist Tributaries of the Amazon River Rivers of Ecuador Rivers of Peru International rivers of South America Ramsar sites in Peru Upper Amazon Rivers of Loreto Region

Tributaries

Economy

Bridges

See also

References and notes