HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Maule river or Río Maule ( Mapudungun: ''rainy'') is one of the most important rivers of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
. It is inextricably linked to the country's pre-Hispanic (
Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
) times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence,
modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...
, agriculture (
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
, traditional crops), culture (
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
,
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...
,
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
), religion, economy and politics. The Maule River marked the southern limits of the Inca Empire. Many famous men and women in Chile's history have been born in the
Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
named after the river. The river has also lent its name to one of the viticultural regions of the
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
(also known as
appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
s), the Valley of Maule, a subregion of the Central Valley.


Upper reach

The river is 240 km long and its basin covers around 20,600 km2. Thirty percent of the basin is located in the Andean range. It is born in Laguna del Maule in Talca Province, at an altitude of 2,200 mt in the vicinity of the border with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
. From that point the rivers flows westwardly and is soon joined on its left bank by one of its main
tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drain ...
, the Melado River, which is born in Laguna Dial, in Linares Province. Further on, and still in its upper course, the Maule is joined, this time on its right bank by rivers Colorado, Claro, Puelche and Cipreses.


Middle reach

Before arriving at the central valley, the Maule is dammed into the Colbún dam lake that feeds the hydroelectric power station of the same name. Further on, the Maule is joined by the Claro (another river named Claro) and the
Loncomilla Loncomilla River ( Mapudungun for "Gold of the Chief") is a tributary to the Maule river in Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the sout ...
. The latter flows from the south and receives several tributaries: the Putagán, the Achibueno - Ancoa system, the Perquilauquén, the Purapel and the Cauquenes.


Lower reach

In its lower reaches, the river receives only one modest
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
, the Estero de los Puercos and, after flowing for nearly 250 kilometers, the Maule ends at the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
, north of the city of Constitución.


Ecology

The Maule River basin contains a number of significant
flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...
and fauna of Chile. Historically the Chilean Wine Palm, '' Jubaea chilensis'', was present in the Maule River basin; however, due to expansion of the human population in this region, this
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
tree has a more restricted range that still includes some of the northern portion of the Maule Region.


Literary allusions

The Maule has been considered as Chile's
literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...
river ''par excellence''. The number of
poets A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writt ...
, writers, historians, orators,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
s, journalists as well as composers and
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
ians that have been born or have settled in the Maule Region, to which "the river of the fogs" has given its name, is quite staggering. Many Latin American stories have had the river as the main background or protagonist. Several anthologies, author's dictionaries and
essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
s have given vivid accounts of the vast cultural wealth of the region around river Maule.


See also

* Battle of the Maule * Ramal Talca-Constitución *
Founding of Talca The San Agustín de Talca Foundation was on May 12, 1742, who ordered its foundation was the Royal Governor of Chile, José Antonio Manso de Velasco and later named City of Talca on June 6, 1796, a real identity document of Carlos IV of Spain, the ...


Notes


References


Universidad de Talca
PDF file.
Cuenca del río Maule
PDF file. (2004) Government of Chile publication. * C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Chilean Wine Palm: Jubaea chilensis'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg

Oasis de la Campana: Wine Palm (2008)


External links


Maule_River_and_bridges_(Pan_American_Highway
_and_railway),__Maule_Region_of_Chile,_north_of_San_Javier,_Chile.html" ;"title="Pan American Highway">Maule River and bridges (Pan American Highway
and railway), Maule Region of Chile, north of San Javier, Chile">San Javier]
Maule River
and
Colbún Colbún (Mapudungun: "Cleaning of the land") is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the province's largest. Its capital, the town ...
dam lake, in the center
Upper reaches of the Maule basin
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

Lower course of Maule river
with the city of Constitución to the west
Railway bridge over the Maule River
near Constitución {{Coord, 35, 19, 00, S, 72, 24, 30, W, region:CL_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Rivers of Chile Wine regions of Chile Rivers of Maule Region