Biobío River
| Biobío River | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map of Biobío River showing its main tributaries | |
| Location | |
| Country | Chile |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Galletué Lake |
| • elevation | 1,160 m (3,810 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Gulf of Arauco (in Spanish), Pacific Ocean |
• coordinates | 36°48′50″S 73°10′14″W / 36.81389°S 73.17056°W |
| Length | 380 km (240 mi) |
Basin size | 24,264 km2 (9,368 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 899 m3/s (31,700 cu ft/s) |
The Biobío River (also known as Bío Bío or Bio-Bio) is the second largest river in Chile and one of the country's most important watercourses, both for its geography and for its economic and historical significance. It originates at Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 kilometres (236 mi) to the Gulf of Arauco (in Spanish) on the Pacific Ocean, crossing and dividing the central and southern zones of Chile.
The major tributaries of the river are the Malleco and the Laja. The river is Chile's second-longest river (the longest being the Loa River) and the Biobío basin is Chile's third largest watershed, after the Loa and Baker basins. The river is also the widest river in Chile, with an average width of 1 kilometre (0.6 mi). In the Metropolitan area of Concepción, four bridges have crossed the river: the Biobío Railroad Bridge (1889), the Juan Pablo II Bridge (1973), the Llacolén Bridge (2000), and the Bicentennial Bridge (2011). A fifth crossing, the Puente Viejo, built in 1942, served the city until 2010, and construction of a new railroad bridge to replace the aging 1889 span began in 2022.