| Maule River | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Maule River | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Chile |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Laguna del Maule |
| • elevation | 2,200 m (7,200 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Pacific Ocean |
| Length | 240 km (150 mi) |
| Basin size | 20,600 km2 (8,000 sq mi) |
TheMaule river orRío Maule (Mapudungun:rainy) is one of the most important rivers ofChile. It is inextricably linked to the country's pre-Hispanic (Inca) times, the country's conquest,colonial period,wars of Independence,modern history, agriculture (wine, traditional crops), culture (literature,poetry,folklore), religion, economy and politics. The Maule River marked the southern limits of the Inca Empire. Many famous men and women inChile's history have been born in theRegion[1][2] named after the river. The river has also lent its name to one of theviticultural regions of thecountry (also known asappellations), theValley of Maule, a subregion of theCentral Valley.
The river is 240 km long and itsbasin covers around 20,600 km2. Thirty percent of the basin is located in theAndean range. It is born in Laguna del Maule inTalca Province, at an altitude of 2,200 mt in the vicinity of the border withArgentina. From that point the rivers flows westwardly and is soon joined on its left bank by one of its maintributaries, theMelado River, which is born in Laguna Dial, inLinares Province. Further on, and still in its upper course, the Maule is joined, this time on its right bank by rivers Colorado, Claro, Puelche and Cipreses.
Before arriving at thecentral valley, the Maule is dammed into the Colbún dam lake that feeds thehydroelectric power station of the same name.
Further on, the Maule is joined by the Claro (another river named Claro) and theLoncomilla. The latter flows from the south and receives several tributaries: thePutagán, theAchibueno -Ancoa system, thePerquilauquén, thePurapel and theCauquenes.
In its lower reaches, the river receives only one modesttributary, theEstero de los Puercos and, after flowing for nearly 250 kilometers, the Maule ends at thePacific Ocean, north of the city ofConstitución.
The Maule River basin contains a number of significantflora andfauna of Chile.[3] Historically theChilean Wine Palm,Jubaea chilensis, was present in the Maule River basin;[4] however, due toexpansion of the human population in this region, thisendangered tree has a more restricted range that still includes some of the northern portion of the Maule Region.[5]
The Maule has been considered as Chile'sliterary riverpar excellence. The number ofpoets, writers, historians,orators,playwrights, journalists as well as composers andfolk musicians that have been born or have settled in theMaule Region, to which "the river of the fogs" has given its name, is quite staggering.[1] Many Latin American stories have had the river as the main background or protagonist. Several anthologies, author's dictionaries andessays have given vivid accounts of the vast cultural wealth of the region around river Maule.[6][7]
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| Lakes | ||
35°19′00″S72°24′30″W / 35.31667°S 72.40833°W /-35.31667; -72.40833
