| Pilcomayo Ysyry Araguay | |
|---|---|
 Pilcomayo River, in theDry Chaco | |
 Map of theRio de la Plata Basin, highlighting the Pilcomayo river | |
| Etymology | Quechua |
| Native name | Pillkumayu (Quechua) |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Most distant source of Pilcomayo-Pilaya-Camblaya-San Juan-Orosmayo-Ajedrez-Porvenir System |
| • location | East slopes of Cerro Sipisami, Jujui Province, Argentina |
| • coordinates | approximately22°51′52″S66°32′55″W / 22.86444°S 66.54861°W /-22.86444; -66.54861 |
| • elevation | approximately 4800 m |
| 2nd source | Most distant source of main stem Pilcomayo |
| • location | Municipio Santiago de Huari, Oruro, Bolivia |
| • coordinates | 19°23′36″S66°25′5″W / 19.39333°S 66.41806°W /-19.39333; -66.41806 |
| • elevation | 4820 metres |
| Mouth | Confluence withParaguay River |
• location | Near Asunción, Paraguay |
• coordinates | 25°16′40″S57°40′16″W / 25.27778°S 57.67111°W /-25.27778; -57.67111 |
| Official name | Rio Pilcomayo |
| Designated | 4 May 1992 |
| Reference no. | 557[1] |
Pilcomayo (in Hispanicized spelling)[2] (QuechuaPillkumayu orPillku Mayu,pillku red,mayu river,[3] "red river",GuaraniYsyry Araguay[ʔɨsɨˈɾɨʔaɾaɰʷaˈɨ]) is a river in centralSouth America. At 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) long,[4] it is the longest western tributary of theParaguay River. Itsdrainage basin is 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) in area, and its meandischarge is 200 cubic metres per second (7,100 cu ft/s).[4]
Along its course, the Pilcomayo silts up and splits into two main branches, North and South. After some distance, these branches rejoin to form the Lower Pilcomayo.[4]
The Pilcomayo rises in the foothills of theAndes mountain range in theOruro Department inBolivia, east ofLake Poopó. TheJach'a Juqhu River is considered the origin of the Pilcomayo.[5] Upstream the Jach'a Juqhu River successively receives the names Aguas Calientes and Kachi Mayu. From the confluence with the Chillawa(Chillahua), the river is called Pilcomayo.[6][7] From there, it flows in a southeasterly direction throughChuquisaca andTarija departments, passes through theArgentine province ofFormosa and theGran Chaco plains ofParaguay, forming most of theborder between these two countries before it joins theParaguay River nearAsunción. TheRío Pilcomayo National Park is located on theArgentine side of the border. It also forms a short part of the boundary between Argentina and Bolivia, just prior to theArgentina–Bolivia–Paraguaytripoint.
The river basin is home to approximately 1.5 million people: one million in Bolivia, 300,000 in Argentina, and 200,000 in Paraguay.
The Nakotoi Indian Tribe resides in the southern region of the Pilcomayo, a region located along the river in central Paraguay.[8] The aborigines of this tribe are descendants of the highly renowned Redskin Tribe.[8] The Natokoi treated all neighbors as enemies, but none more so than the Tobas Tribe and the Nimká Tribe, their respective neighbors to the southwest and northeast.[8] Guerrilla warfare has long existed between the tribes, isolating the tribe from direct intercourse with the European settlers in the late 19th century.[8] Men of this tribe are generally tall and skinny, built like hunters or warriors, whereas women are short in size.[9] The Natokoi dress in a rug, fastened around the waist-line.[9]
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