BÃo BÃo River
Rio Bio Bio
Middle reaches of the Andes
The Río Bío Bío, also Biobío, is the second longest river in Chile. It is 380 km long.
It runs about 500 kilometers south of Santiago de Chile. He springs from the Galletue lake in the Andes. It flows at San Pedro de la Paz in the Gulf of Arauco.
Course
In the first few kilometers, where he also receives the waters of the Río Rucanuco, the outflow of Lake Icalma, the Río Bío Bío flows eastward to the main ridge of the Andes. Soon the river will change to the north. In the middle reaches of the gradient changes more to the north- west of the estuary into the Pacific.
Larger cities along the Río Bío Bío from the mouth to the source:
- San Pedro de la Paz
- Concepción
- La Laja
- Nacimiento
- Santa Bárbara
History
The Bío Bío was discovered in 1544 by Juan Bautista Pastene. The Bío Bío long formed the border between the Spanish sphere of influence and the areas of Pehuenchen and Mapuche.
1647 joined the Spaniards and the Mapuche a peace treaty with the Río Bío Bío as a border. However, this was undermined by the Spaniards over again, so it already came to renewed Mapuche rebellions from 1655.
Economy and Environment
The Bio-Bio has gained by the resistance of Pehuenches against the Ralco Dam, a large dam complex, international celebrity.
Since the late 1970s, the Chilean- Spanish energy company ENDESA was planning the construction of six large dams on the Bio-Bio. In 1997, the first dam at Pangue was completed. The reservoirs inundate large areas of Pehuenches and destroy their fishing grounds. The whole environment in the lower reaches of the Bio-Bio has been greatly altered by the dams. On 16 September 2003, the Pehuenches entered into an agreement with the Chilean government, which they compensated for the loss of land. The second dam at Ralco was dammed in 2004.
Tourism
At the mouth has about 22 km of the river to the town of San Pedro de la Paz, The Lakes Laguna Grande of San Pedro and Laguna Chica of San Pedro offer beautiful natural landscape for hiking. The river is also popular for kayaking and rafting.
The valleys of Valle del Bio-Bio and Valle Itata form the southernmost wine -growing areas of Chile.
The estuary is located in the nature reserve Lake Galletué. The area of Alto Biobío the middle reaches is opened slightly touristy.