The Piura River is a river in northern

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 ...

. The river flows westward from 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 ...

to 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 continen ...

and is susceptible to major flooding.

Piura Piura is a city in northwestern Peru located in the Sechura Desert on the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro fou ...

is the largest city along the river's course.

Course

The Piura River has its source in eastern

Piura Region Piura () is a coastal department and region in northwestern Peru. The region's capital is Piura and its largest port cities, Paita and Talara, are also among the most important in Peru. The area is known for its tropical and dry beaches. It is ...

near the

continental divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

of the

where the mountainous divide is relatively lower than elsewhere in Peru. The river flows in a northwesterly direction for approximately through a fertile valley that is a major agricultural region for northern Peru. At Tambo Grande, the river course turns west. The Piura comes within of the

Chira River Chira River or Rio Chira is the name of a river (as well as valley) in northern Peru whose mouth is 100 km north west of the provincial capital of Piura and 25 km north of the port of Paita. Its source is in the Ecuadorian Andes near th ...

before flowing southerly into the arid

Sechura Desert The Sechura Desert is a coastal desert located south of the Piura Region of Peru along the Pacific Ocean coast and inland to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtrop ...

. Through this desert the Piura River provides a rare source of fresh water and creates a strip of arable land in which the city of

is located. The Piura River has two mouths at

Sechura Bay Sechura is a city in northwestern Peru, south of Piura. It is the capital of Sechura Province in the Piura Region. The city lends its name to the Sechura Desert The Sechura Desert is a coastal desert located south of the Piura Region of Pe ...

with its largest discharge at Laguna Ramon. Historically, the Piura River's primary mouth was further north but severe

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

events in recent decades has diverted much of its flow to the south. The total length of the Piura is approximately and the river's basin is approximately .

Flooding

The Piura River is susceptible to major flooding as its location is near the fluctuating southern boundary of the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...

. In most years, the ITCZ lies to the north of coastal Peru leading to very arid desert conditions in the lower Piura River basin. During

events, however, the ITCZ will shift further south bringing monsoon-like rains to the desert region. During these times, the usually tame Piura will often break through its banks and cause devastating flooding in the city of Piura and nearby towns. The Piura experienced major flooding in 1925, 1982-83, 1997-1998, and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Piura Region Rivers of Peru