Loa River

The Loa is a U-shaped river in Chile's northern Antofagasta region. It is the longest river of the country and the main river in the Atacama Desert.

Geography
The Loa river has a length of , and a drainage basin with an area of approximately .

Course
The Loa river starts on the Andean mountain slopes at the base of the Miño volcano near the Bolivian border, at an elevation of about , in the comuna of Ollagüe, Calama, Antofagasta.

The river flows south, for about , to the oasis of San Francisco de Chiu Chiu or simply Chiu Chiu. Two left tributaries joints the Lao river in this part the riverː 
 San Pedro de Inacaliri, or simply San Pedro, river. It joints the Loa river before Chiu Chiu.
 Salado river. It joints the Loa river about  south of Chiu Chiu.

From Chiu Chiu, the Loa flows to the west, running through the city of Calama. The San Salvador river joints the Loa in this part of course as its only important right tributary.

Then the Loa flows north for about  to Quillagua, an oasis in the comuna of María Elena, Tocopilla province in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile. The Loa is crossed by the Pan-American Highway in this area.

From Quillagua, the river turns westward again and marks the border between the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta. Finally, the Loa flows in the Pacific Ocean.

Main tributaries 
Because the Loa river flows throug a very arid region, a desert, there are very few permanent tributaries; they areː

 Left tributaries
  San Pedro de Inacaliri -  long.
 Salado -  long.
 Right tributary
  San Salvador -  long.

Gallery

Related pages
 List of rivers of Chile

References

Other websites

 Cuenca Río Loa  

Category:Rivers of Chile
Category:Antofagasta Region