| Maipo River | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Maipo River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Location | |
| Country | Chile |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Andes Mountains, south of Unnamed Hill 3996 |
| • coordinates | 34°13′30″S69°50′56″W / 34.225°S 69.849°W /-34.225; -69.849 |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• location | San Antonio, Chile |
• coordinates | 33°36′48″S71°37′44″W / 33.6134°S 71.6288°W /-33.6134; -71.6288 |
| Length | 250 km (160 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 15,304 km2 (5,909 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 92.3 m3/s (3,260 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | El Volcán,Yeso andColorado |
TheMaipo River is themainriver flowing through theSantiago Metropolitan Region and theValparaíso Region ofChile. It is located just south of the capital ofSantiago. TheMapocho River, which flows through central Santiago, is one of its tributaries. Its headwaters are on the west slope ofMaipo volcano, in theAndes. The Maipo River is by far the major source ofirrigation andpotable water for the region.[1][2]
The river'smouth bar have moved to disconnect the river from the sea several times in history, for example, after the2010 Chile earthquake and then again since January 19, 2023.[3] This last change in bar morphology was a consequence of astorm surge.[3] By January 28 a ditch had been made to reconnect the river to the sea.[4] Governor of Valpraíso RegionRodrigo Mundaca criticized however the fact that works were carried out without permission.[4]
Low discharge rates caused byexcessive uptakes of water in Maipo River have been credited for the inability of the river to break naturally through the bar in January 2023.[3][4]
In its upper course the river runs as an entrenched torrent through the Andes mountains. Here, it receives three major tributaries: theEl Volcán River, theYeso River and theColorado River. After leaving the Andes, the Maipo flows through the valley that bears its name, which is one of the principalwine-producing region in Chile.[2] The Maipo River travels 250 km (160 mi) before emptying into thePacific Ocean, near the locality of Llolleo, south of the port ofSan Antonio.
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 | ThisSantiago Metropolitan Region location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
 | ThisValparaíso Region location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
 | This article related to a river in Chile is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
