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Ucayali River
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Ucayali River Ucayali River Ucayali River Pucallpa, on the Ucayali River, Peru
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Spanish:
Río Ucayali
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Ucayali River
Ucayali River Sunset on the Ucayali River, Peru.

Ucayali River

river, Peru
Written by
Amy Tikkanen
Amy Tikkanen is Managing Editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Amy Tikkanen
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Ucayali River, headwater of the Amazon, formed by the junction of the Apurímac and Urubamba rivers in east-central Peru. The Ucayali meanders northward from this junction for about 910 miles (1,465 km) through a densely forested floodplain east of the Andes to its junction with the Marañón River, 55 miles (90 km) south-southwest of Iquitos. This confluence is considered to mark the head of the Amazon. The total length of the Ucayali and its longest tributary, the Apurímac, is 1,701 miles (2,738 km).

Ucayali River
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Ucayali River
Ucayali River
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Ucayali RiverHomes on the Ucayali River, Peru.

Shallow-draft vessels ply the river as far south as its junction with the Pachitea River, 675 miles (1,085 km) upstream from Iquitos. Along the Ucayali are small river ports, notably Pucallpa, Contamana, and Requena.

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