15 MAIN HYDROGRAPHIC BASINS OF PERU - GEOGRAPHY

The hydrographic basins of Peru are numerous and of great importance for the Andean country. The most relevant are those that discharge their waters into the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Titicaca.

Among the most outstanding basins are the Tumbes river basin, the Rimac river, the Napo and Tigre rivers, the Chira river and the Titicaca lake, among many others.

The Santa River basin is one of the largest in the coastal area. Source: Fronsvir

These are territories with an extension of more than 50 thousand hectares that have the peculiarity that their surface is full of water, which flows through its channels into a single sea or lagoon.

These territories are defined with the intention of managing natural resources such as water, soil or vegetation. You can also find sub-basins that cover surfaces of between 5,000 and 50,000 hectares, as well as micro-basins, which have space of 3,000 to 5,000 hectares.

The 15 most relevant river basins of Peru

The basins of Peru are divided into three main slopes according to the mouth of their waters. These are the Pacific slope, the Amazon or Atlantic slope and the Lake Titicaca slope.

The Pacific slope includes all those territories in the west of the country, as well as all the rivers that have their origin in the western chain of the Peruvian Andes and flow precisely into the Pacific Ocean.

For its part, the Atlantic slope is the one that has the largest extension in Peru and the one that contains a density of river networks higher than the other slopes. Its area is estimated to be about 950,000 square kilometers.

Finally, the Titicaca slope is located on the Collao plateau and has an area of approximately 48,755 square kilometers.

Each of the basins that make up this categorization has particular hydrographic characteristics. We will describe the most important ones below:

Tumbes river basin

It is made up of streams that run through Ecuadorian mountain ranges such as Chila and Cerro Negro, flowing into the Pacific Ocean near the Peruvian city of Tumbes.

This basin is surrounded by mountains and is fed by some fundamental rivers such as the Calera, the Luis River, the Ambocas River and the Yellow River.

Given that Peru and Ecuador share a border, both use this flow to irrigate some of their neighboring areas; however, it is considered that all the potential it can offer has not yet been exploited.

Chira river basin

This basin is bordered to the north by the Puyango River and to the south by the Piura and Huancambamba rivers. To the east it borders the Ecuadorian basins of Zamora Chinchipe and to the west with the Pacific Ocean.

The Chira is an international river, which is why its basin has a vast surface drainage area that is estimated at more than 19 thousand square kilometers. Of these, a little more than 7 thousand are in the territory of the Republic of Ecuador and about 11,900 within the Republic of Peru.

The Chira River drains mainly the Honda, La Tina, Peroles, Cóndor and Poechos streams, as well as the Chipillico and Quiroz rivers. Likewise, the Pilares and Macará rivers are important tributaries of this basin.

Chancay-Lambayeque river basin

According to the political location, this hydrographic basin is located in the northeastern region of Peru, specifically in the sectors of Lambayeque and Cajamarca.

The Chancay-Lambayeque river is born in the Mishacocha lagoon. Just when it joins the La Puntilla distributor, it is divided into three channels: only one of these flows into the Pacific, while the water from the other two is used entirely for irrigation.

Jequetepeque and Chamán rivers basin

The area of the Jequetepeque river basin can be counted at 4,372.50 square kilometers, while the Chamán basin has an area of approximately 1,569.20 square kilometers.

A relevant aspect in this basin is that five different categories of rivers can converge in it, which makes it very crowded.

Moche river basin

This basin is located in the La Libertad department, between the Trujillo, Otuzco, Santiago de Chuco and Julcán provinces.

The Moche river is born specifically in the Grande lagoon, near the town of Quiruvilca. Given the route it takes, it later takes the names of the San Lorenzo River and the Constancia River until it reaches the San Juan area and takes the name of the Moche River. From then on it retains that name until it finally flows into the sea.

This basin has an area of about 2708 square kilometers and from its origin to its mouth it can travel a maximum length of 102 kilometers.

Among the rivers or streams that serve as the main tributaries of this basin, the Motil, Chota, Otuzco and Chanchacap stand out, among others.

Virú river basin

It is located in the department of La Libertad and covers an area of approximately 2,805.66 square kilometers.

This basin borders the Moche River to the north, the Chao River basin to the south, the Santa River basin to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Chao or Huamanzaña river basin

The Chao river basin also encompasses different sectors of the department of La Libertad and borders the Virú river basin, the Santa river basin and the Pacific Ocean.

The Chao river is born at the foot of the Ururupa hill, at an elevation close to 4050 meters above sea level. This implies that its waters are nourished elementally with the precipitations that fall high up on the western side of the Andes mountain range.

Santa river basin

It is located in northern Peru and drains an approximate area of 14,954 square kilometers. Politically, it covers various provinces of the departments of Ancash and La Libertad.

This basin is considered one of the largest on the Peruvian coast. In addition, it also has such a particular and relevant amount of water resources that it is considered an ideal setting for various analyzes and investigations.

Considering only the basins that belong to the Pacific slope, the magnitude of this basin is only surpassed by the Chira River.

Rímac river basin

It has an estimated length of 145 kilometers, having its origin at about 5500 meters above sea level. Its mouth is in the Pacific Ocean. Within this basin, two relevant sub-basins can be mentioned: San Mateo (1,276 square kilometers) and Santa Eulalia (1,094 square kilometers).

The Rímac river basin is of great environmental importance for the city of Lima and the other nearby towns because it contributes to its development.

This basin has the particularity of receiving water from different sources such as lagoons, snow-capped mountains and rainfall, so it requires special conservation.

Cañete river basin

It belongs to the department of Lima and is approximately 6192 square kilometers long.

The Cañete River is basically fed by the rains, the lagoons and the melting of some snow-capped mountains. From its source to its mouth, its length covers about 220 kilometers.

Piura river basin

It has an approximate area of 12,216 square kilometers, which extends to its mouth in the Pacific Ocean.

The Piura River is born right in the division with the Huancabamba basin and from there it crosses through the Morropón and Piura sectors, passing through the San Francisco stream.

This river is fed in turn by other important rivers such as the Yapatera, the Sancor, the Pusmalca, the San Jorge and the Chignia, among others.

Napo and Tigre river basin

The surface of this basin has an extension of 6,205,307 hectares and its limits are the Napo, Tigre and Amazon rivers. It covers the political provinces of Maynas and Loreto.

Regarding the Amazon River, it is important to note that it has a total length of 3,763 kilometers, 570 of these belonging to the Republic of Peru. It is considered the largest river in the world.

Basins of the Tambopata, Madre de Dios, Heath, Las Piedras, Tahuamanu and Inambari rivers

It has an area of 42,073.24 hectares. In addition, politically you cover the provinces of Tahuamanu, Sandia, Tambopata and Manu, among others.

Pastaza river basin

This basin also has its origin in neighboring Ecuador, specifically in the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano.

Within the hydrographic route that culminates in the basin you can find the Baños, Bolanza (Ecuador) and Calera rivers, as well as the Menchari, Huasaga, Capahuari, Huitoyacu and Chapullí and Ungurahui rivers (in Peruvian territory).

Lake Titicaca Basin

Lake Titicaca has a volume of more than 900 billion cubic meters and an average area of more than 8000 square kilometers. Its maximum depth can be calculated at 285 meters.

The hydrographic system of the Titicaca basin is endorheic, which means that it does not have an outlet to any sea.

For the same reason, the lake works as a closed system and is subject to significant evaporation that can reach up to 1600 millimeters per year.

Another fundamental characteristic is that the waters have a considerable salt content; This is particular to this basin, since most Andean lakes have sweeter waters.

References

Ordoñez, J. "What is a hydrological basin?" (2011) in Global Water Partnership. Retrieved on July 10, 2019 from Global Water Partnership: gwp.org
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is a watershed?" (June 25, 2018) in National Ocean Service. Retrieved on July 10, 2019 from National Ocean Service: oceanservice.noaa.gov
“The new generation of watershed management programs and projects” (2007) in FAO. Retrieved on July 10, 2019 from FAO: fao.org
"Main basins at the national level" (S / A) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. Retrieved on July 10, 2019 from: Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation: minagri.gob.pe
"Prioritization of basins for the management of water resources" (2016) in National Water Authority. Retrieved on July 10, 2019 from the National Water Authority: ana.gob.pe

15 MAIN HYDROGRAPHIC BASINS OF PERU - GEOGRAPHY - 2025