Length 615 km | Country Argentina | |
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Deseado River (Spanish: Río Deseado) is a river in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz. The name Deseado comes from the English Desire, the name of one of the two ships commanded by John Davis during the Thomas Cavendish expedition of 1592.
Map of Deseado River, Argentina
The river is born from the glacier-thaw Buenos Aires Lake on the northwestern part of the province at the Andes range, and travels for 615 kilometres (382 mi) before reaching the Atlantic Coast. On its way southeast, its water is tapped for irrigation. Its tributaries include the Pinturas River and the Fénix River.
The river sometimes disappears under the arid terrain, to re-emerge before reaching Puerto Deseado on Santa Cruz's coastline, where it produces a deep-water natural port. The outlet of the river has become submerged and inundated by sea water, forming an estuary. In 1977, this was set aside as a nature reserve, the Reserva Natural Ría Deseado.