Río Guáitara

Río Guáitara - Río Carchi Río Guáytara
Río Guáitara near Ipiales
Data
location	Colombia , Ecuador
River system	Río Patía
Drain over	Río Patía  → Pacific Ocean
Headwaters	Eastern flank of the volcano of Chile 0 ° 48 ′ 42 ″  N , 77 ° 53 ′ 59 ″  W
Source height	about  3550  m
muzzle	Río Patía Coordinates: 1 ° 35 ′ 15 "  N , 77 ° 26 ′ 47"  W 1 ° 35 ′ 15 "  N , 77 ° 26 ′ 47"  W.
Mouth height	approx.  400  m
Height difference	approx. 3150 m
Bottom slope	approx. 20 ‰
length	approx. 160 km
Catchment area	approx. 1550 km²
Drain	MQ	87 m³ / s
Left tributaries	Rio Pacual
Right tributaries	Río Curiaco
Big cities	Ipiales
Medium-sized cities	Tulcán
Small towns	Potosí
Communities	Tufiño
Santuario de Las Lajas

The Río Guáitara (alternative spelling: Río Guáytara ) is an approx. 160 km long left tributary of the Río Patía in Colombia and Ecuador . The upper course along the Ecuadorian border is called Río Carchi .

Naming

The naming of the river is often ambiguous, which is why it is sometimes referred to by the names of the tributaries (e.g. Quebrada de El Morro). Another tributary on the Colombian side bears the name Río Carchi. In ancient times the river was known as Pastarán , among the Incas it was called Ancashmayu and the place was called Guáytara , from which the river takes its name in Colombian territory today.

River course

The Río Guáitara rises on the eastern flank of the volcano of Chile in the area of ​​the Nudo de los Pastos on the border between the Ecuadorian province of Carchi and the Colombian department de Nariño . From there it flows 32 km in a predominantly eastern direction and forms the state border. It passes the municipality of Tufiño and finally reaches the Puente Internacional de Rumichaca ( ⊙ ) bridge . The road bridge connects the cities of Tulcán (Ecuador) and Ipiales (Colombia). The Panamericana border crossing is on it . Below the bridge, in Colombia, the river takes the name Río Guáitara . It flows through a gorge southeast of Ipiales. The regionally important pilgrimage church Santuario de Las Lajas is located there at river kilometer 115 near the small town Potosí . The river is now turning north. The Galeras volcano rises to the east of the river valley . About 12 kilometers above the confluence with the Río Patía, the Río Pacual , the most important tributary, meets the Río Guáitara from the left.

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Hydrology and catchment area

The mean discharge of the Río Guáitara is 87 m³ / s. The catchment area covers an area of ​​around 1550 km². Of this, about 143 km² are in Ecuador. The western border of the catchment area forms the Colombian Cordillera Occidental with the volcanoes Azufral , Cumbal and Chiles. In the south lies the Nudo de los Pastos mountain group. The basin landscape of Altiplano de Túquerres e Ipiales extends over the southern part of the catchment area . In the east the Colombian Cordillera Central runs with the Galeras volcano.

Web links

Commons : Río Guáitara  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Alberto Lobo-Guerrero Uscátegui: Hidrología e Hidrogeología de la Región Pacífica Colombiana (PDF, 1.2 MB) Logemin SA. 1993. Retrieved March 31, 2019.