Río Blanco (Río Esmeraldas)
| Río Blanco | ||
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Ecuador
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| River system | Río Esmeraldas | |
| Drain over | Río Esmeraldas → Pacific Ocean | |
| Confluence of |
Río Saloya and Río Mindo 0 ° 0 ′ 36 ″ S , 78 ° 49 ′ 9 ″ W |
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| Source height | approx. 1000 m | |
| Association with |
Río Guayllabamba to Río Esmeraldas Coordinates: 0 ° 27 ′ 25 " N , 79 ° 23 ′ 51" W, 0 ° 27 ′ 25 " N , 79 ° 23 ′ 51" W |
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| Mouth height | approx. 50 m | |
| Height difference | approx. 950 m | |
| Bottom slope | approx. 6.2 ‰ | |
| length | approx. 153 km (including Río Saloya: 213 km) | |
| Catchment area | approx. 8500 km² | |
| Left tributaries | Río Mulaute , Río Toachi , Río Quinindé | |
| Right tributaries | Río Salazar, Río Abundancia, Río Caoni | |
| Medium-sized cities | La Concordia , Quinindé | |
| Small towns | San Miguel de los Bancos , Valle Hermoso | |
The Río Blanco (Spanish for "white river") is the approximately 153 km long left source river of the Río Esmeraldas in northwest Ecuador .
River course
The Río Blanco arises at the confluence of the Río Saloya and Río Mindo at the foot of the Cordillera Occidental , 40 km west-northwest of Quito . It initially flows in a predominantly westerly direction through the coastal lowlands in northwest Ecuador. At river kilometer 144 it passes the small town of San Miguel de los Bancos to the north . At river kilometer 100 the Río Toachi meets the Río Blanco on the left. This now turns to the northwest. At river kilometer 75 he passes the western town of La Concordia . The Río Blanco then flows 20 km north-northeast. The Río Salazar , Río Abundancia and Río Caoni all flow into the Río Blanco on this section of the river. For the next 25 km, the Río Blanco turns south-west and reaches the town of Quinindé . There the Río Quinindé meets the Río Blanco coming from the southwest. This flows another 20 km in a predominantly north-northeast direction before it joins the Río Guayllabamba to the Río Esmeraldas. The course of the Río Blanco is located in the provinces of Pichincha , Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Esmeraldas .
Catchment area
The Río Blanco drains an area of approximately 8,500 km² on the western flank of the Cordillera Occidental and the coastal lowlands to the west. The catchment area extends from the Guagua Pichincha volcano in the north to the Quilotoa caldera in the south.