Palena (river)

The river originates in General Winter Lake (the Chilean name is Palena) at an altitude of 930 meters. The source is located at the eastern (Argentinean) tip of the lake. Palena flows through the territory of the province of Chubut initially east, then turns north, then northwest, near El Corcovado it turns west, crosses the border with Chile near the village of Palena . The main tributaries in the territory of Argentina are Yelo, Frio, Greda and Encuentro, the latter forms part of the Argentine-Chilean border.

The Chilean territory flows initially southwest through the territory of the Palen province of the Los Lagos region , then turns north, forms part of a small section of the border with the Aisen del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo region , then abuts the mountains and cool turns south, flows through the territory of the province of Aisen , receives the tributaries of Salto, Rosselot, Risopatron and turns west. Near its mouth flows to the north-west, the last major tributary, the Milimova River, takes a few kilometers from its confluence with the Pacific Ocean .

The total area of ​​the river basin is 12887 km², with 56.5% or 7281 km² in Chile, and 5586 km² in Argentina. The length of the river is 240 km.

At its source, the river has a stable regime, since General Winter Lake regulates its flow, but in the middle and lower reaches it depends heavily on the fullness of its tributaries, which, in turn, is dependent on the amount of precipitation , therefore fluctuations in the water level in the river are very depend on the season and can reach seven meters.

The river is navigable for small vessels in the lower course for 40 km.

• Map of Chile, scale 1:19 000 000, GUGK, 1986
• The Great Atlas of the World, Readers Digest Publishing House, 2007, pp. 294-295, ISBN 978-5-89355-169-3
• Nombres Geográficos - Río Palena: Chile
• Ríos de Chile - Río Palena