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 begins near Lake Junin and stretches for about 809 kilometers. It flows through several areas including Junín, Huancavelica, and Ayacucho before joining the Apurimac River to form the Ene River. Some of its important smaller rivers include the Cunas River and the Kachimayu.

The river runs southeast through central Peru, starting at an elevation of about 4,082 meters and ending at around 440 meters above sea level. This steep drop helped create the wide and fertile Mantaro Valley, which is a key source of food for the big city of Lima. The area also has a major power plant that helps provide electricity for Peru.

Source of the Amazon

In 1971, a group from the National Geographic Society said the Apurímac River was the starting point of 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 actually be the longest part of the Amazon, adding about 75–92 km to its length.