The Limay River is an important

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in the northwestern Argentine

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

(the region of

Comahue Comahue is a sub-region of Argentina slightly to the south of the country's centre that covers the northern part of Argentine Patagonia and includes the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro. Some also include La Pampa Province and the Patagone ...

). It originates at the eastern end of the

Nahuel Huapi Lake Nahuel Huapi Lake ( es, Lago Nahuel Huapí) is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The tourist center of Bariloche is on the southern shore of the lake. The June 2 ...

and flows in a

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 ba ...

ing path for about , collecting the waters of several

tributaries 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 drainag ...

, such as the Traful River, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets the

Neuquén River The Neuquén River () is the second most important river of the province of Neuquén in the Argentine Patagonia, after the Limay River. Rocks of the Neuquén Basin are fossiliferous, and the basin hosts what may become important fields of ti ...

and together they become the Río Negro. At this confluence lies the city of

Neuquén Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...

. The river serves as natural border between the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Río Negro and

. Its deep waters are clear, and carry a large flow, on average. Its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

has an area of and includes almost all the rivers and streams of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

basin in the region, as well as an extensive network of lakes. The waters of the Limay are used to generate

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

at the five

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s built on its course: Alicurá,

Piedra del Águila Piedra del Águila ( en, Stone of the Eagle) is a second category Municipality and the capital city of Collón Curá Department, located in Neuquén Province, Argentina. Geography Piedra del Águila is located 211 km from Neuquén, the cap ...

, Pichi Picún Leufú, El Chocón, and Arroyito; together with the Cerros Colorados Complex on the Neuquén River they constitute more than one quarter of Argentina's total hydroelectric power generation. The construction of the successive dams and reservoirs has reduced the length of the river, which originally measured about . In the 1980s the only heavy water plant in

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 sout ...

was constructed next to the river at the town of Arroyito. The river is also used for fly fishing; in some locations its banks are suitable as beach resorts, with facilities for

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

. The origin of the word comes from the Mapuche indians and it means, crystalline, that you could see to the bottom.

Gallery

File:San Carlos de Barilocge 7.jpg, File:Rio Limay 3.jpg, File:Rio Limay 2.jpg, File:Rio Limay 10.jpg,

References

* Colbert E. Cushing, Kenneth W. Cummins, G. Wayne Minshall: ''River and Stream Ecosystems of the World: With a New Introduction''. University of California Press 2006, , S. 280ff
eingeschränkte Online-Version (Google Books)

Argentour
— ''Río Limay''

Ministry of Environment
— Hydrological basins of Argentina.
Ministry of Economy
— Provincial Economic Overview, Neuquén, August 2005. {{Authority control Rivers of Río Negro Province Rivers of Neuquén Province Rivers of Argentina