Putumayo River

Putumayo River

The Içá or Putumayo River is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River, west of and parallel to the Yapura. It forms part of Colombia's border with Ecuador, as well as most of the frontier with Peru. Known as the Putumayo in the former three nations, it is called the Içá when it crosses into Brazil.

In the late 19th century, the Içá was navigated by the French explorer Jules Crevaux (1847-1882). He ascended it in a steamer drawing convert|6|ft|m of water, and running day and night. He reached Cuemby, convert|800|mi|km above its mouth, without finding a single rapid. Cuemby is only convert|200|mi|km from the Pacific Ocean, in a straight line, passing through the town of Pasto in southern Colombia. Creveaux discovered the river sediments to be free of rock to the base of the Andes; the river banks were of argillaceous earth and the bottom of fine sand.

Today the river is a major transport route. Almost the entire length of the river is navigated by boats.

Cattle farming, along with the rubber trade, is also a major industry on the banks of the Içá. Rubber and balatá (a substance very much like gutta-percha, to the point where it is often called gutta-balatá) from the Içá area are shipped to Manaus, Brazil.

On March 1, 2008, Raúl Reyes and 14 of his fellow Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla companions were killed while on the Ecuadorian side of the border by Colombian military forces. [ [http://www.lahora.com.ec/frontEnd/main.php?idSeccion=688698 Abatido ‘Raúl Reyes’] ]

ee also

*es icon [http://siatac.siac.net.co [Territorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website]

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Putumayo River — River, northwestern South America. Rising in southwestern Colombia, it is about 980 mi (1,575 km) long and flows southeast through tropical rainforests, where it forms a large section of the border between Peru and Colombia. It crosses the border …   Universalium

  • Putumayo River — n. river in South America rising in the Andes that flows from south Colombia into the Amazon in northwestern Brazil (the river forms the border of Colombia with Ecuador and most of the border of Colombia with Peru) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Putumayo River — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Putumayo (disambiguation) — Putumayo may refer to: * The Putumayo Department of Colombia * The Putumayo District in the Maynas Province, Loreto Region, Peru * The Putumayo Canton of Ecuador * The Putumayo River or Içá River in South America * Putumayo World Music, a record… …   Wikipedia

  • Putumayo — /pooh tooh mah yaw/, n. a river in NW South America, flowing SE from S Colombia into the Amazon in NW Brazil. 900 mi. (1450 km) long. Portuguese, Iça. * * * ▪ department, Colombia       departamento, southern Colombia. It is bounded by the… …   Universalium

  • river — river1 riverless, adj. riverlike, adj. /riv euhr/, n. 1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. 2. a similar stream of something other than water: a… …   Universalium

  • Putumayo Department — Putumayo redirects here. For other uses, see Putumayo (disambiguation). Department of Putumayo Departamento del Putumayo   Department   …   Wikipedia

  • Putumayo — [po͞o΄to͞o mä′yō̂] river in NW South America, flowing from SW Colombia along the Colombian Peruvian border into the Amazon in NW Brazil: c. 1,000 mi (1,609 km) …   English World dictionary

  • Putumayo — or (in Brazil) Içá geographical name river 980 miles (1577 kilometers) NW South America flowing from SW Colombia into the Amazon in NW Brazil …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Putumayo — Pu•tu•ma•yo [[t]ˌpu tuˈmɑ yɔ[/t]] n. geg a river in NW South America, flowing SE from S Colombia into the Amazon in NW Brazil. 900 mi. (1450 km) long Portuguese, Içá …   From formal English to slang

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