Mantaro River

The Mantaro River (Spanish: Río Mantaro, Quechua: Hatunmayu) is a long river that flows through the central part of Peru. In Quechua, its name means "great river". The word "Mantaro" might have come from the Asháninka language, spoken by people who live near the Ene River.

The Mantaro River is very important because, together with the Apurímac River, it helps form the beginning of the Amazon River. Depending on how people measure rivers, these two rivers can be considered the source of the mighty Amazon.

Geography

The Mantaro River starts near Lake Junin and flows for about 809 kilometers. It goes through areas like Junín, Huancavelica, and Ayacucho before joining the Apurimac River to become the Ene River. Some smaller rivers, like the Cunas River and the Kachimayu, flow into it.

The river runs southeast through central Peru, starting very high up at about 4,082 meters and ending lower at around 440 meters above sea level. This drop helped create the wide and fertile Mantaro Valley, which grows lots of food for the big city of Lima. The area also has a major power plant that helps supply electricity to Peru.

Source of the Amazon

In 1971, a group from the National Geographic Society said the Apurímac River began the Amazon River. A later trip in 2000 agreed, saying Lake Ticllacocha was the farthest part of the Amazon. But in 2014, new studies showed the Mantaro River might be the longest part of the Amazon.