| Pilcomayo | |
| Name Other: | Ysyry Araguay |
| Name Etymology: | Quechua |
| Map: | Pilcomayorivermap.png |
| Subdivision Type1: | Countries |
| Source1: | Most distant source of Pilcomayo-Pilaya-Camblaya-San Juan-Orosmayo-Ajedrez-Porvenir System |
| Source1 Location: | East slopes of Cerro Sipisami, Jujui Province, Argentina |
| Source1 Coordinates: | approximately -22.8644°N -66.5486°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | approximately 4800 m |
| Source2: | Most distant source of main stem Pilcomayo |
| Source2 Location: | Municipio Santiago de Huari, Oruro, Bolivia |
| Source2 Coordinates: | -19.3933°N -66.4181°W |
| Source2 Elevation: | 4820 metres |
| Mouth: | Confluence with Paraguay River |
| Mouth Location: | Near Asunción, Paraguay |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -25.2778°N -57.6711°W |
Pilcomayo (in Hispanicized spelling) (Quechua Pillkumayu or Pillku Mayu, pillku red, mayu river,[1] "red river", Guarani Ysyry Araguay in Guarani pronounced as /ʔɨsɨˈɾɨ ʔaɾaɰʷaˈɨ/) is a river in central South America. At 1100km (700miles) long,[2] it is the longest western tributary of the Paraguay River. Its drainage basin is 270000km2 in area, and its mean discharge is 200m3/s.[2]
Along its course, the Pilcomayo silts up and splits into two main branches, North and South. After some distance, these branches rejoin to form the Lower Pilcomayo.[2]
The Pilcomayo rises in the foothills of the Andes mountain range in the Oruro Department in Bolivia, east of Lake Poopó. The Jach'a Juqhu River is considered the origin of the Pilcomayo.[3] Upstream the Jach'a Juqhu River successively receives the names Aguas Calientes and Kachi Mayu. From the confluence with the Chillawa (Chillahua), the river is called Pilcomayo.[4] [5] From there, it flows in a southeasterly direction through Chuquisaca and Tarija departments, passes through the Argentine province of Formosa and the Gran Chaco plains of Paraguay, forming most of the border between these two countries before it joins the Paraguay River near Asunción. The Río Pilcomayo National Park is located on the Argentine side of the border. It also forms a short part of the boundary between Argentina and Bolivia, just prior to the Argentina–Bolivia–Paraguay tripoint.
The river basin is home to approximately 1.5 million people: one million in Bolivia, 300,000 in Argentina, and 200,000 in Paraguay.
The Nakotoi Indian Tribe resides in the southern region of the Pilcomayo, a region located along the river in central Paraguay.[6] The aborigines of this tribe are descendants of the highly renowned Redskin Tribe.[6] The Natokoi treated all neighbors as enemies, but none more so than the Tobas Tribe and the Nimká Tribe, their respective neighbors to the southwest and northeast.[6] Guerrilla warfare has long existed between the tribes, isolating the tribe from direct intercourse with the European settlers in the late 19th century.[6] Men of this tribe are generally tall and skinny, built like hunters or warriors, whereas women are short in size.[7] The Natokoi dress in a rug, fastened around the waist-line.[7]
