Presidente Ríos Lake

Presidente Ríos Lake
The Presidente Ríos Lake is on the left half of the image. The SRTM map doesn't show the (existent) connection between the Laguna San Rafael and the Moraleda Channel.
Presidente Ríos Lake in the Aysén Region
Presidente Ríos Lake
Coordinates	46°28′S 74°25′W
Basin countries	Chile
Surface area	313 km^2 (121 sq mi)[1]
References	[1]

Presidente Ríos Lake (Spanish pronunciation: [pɾesiˈðente ˈri.os]) is located in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region of Chile. It lies in the middle of the Taitao Peninsula.

While the lake's existence only became known in Chile in 1945, it appears to have been known by Chono natives, who led 19 survivors of HMS Wager (including Captain David Cheap and Midshipman John Byron) from Wager Island through it in 1742.^[2][3] The Chonos, who often had a hostile relationship with the Spanish, kept the lake secret from them despite serving the Spanish as maritime pilots.^[2] Despite official discovery in 1945, the lake was already known to seafarers from Chiloé.^[4]

References

1. "Principales ríos, embalses, lagos y lagunas de Chile". Panorama Económico Social: las regiones de Chile 1990 - 2005. MIDEPLAN, INE. Archived from the original on 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
2. Vásquez Caballero, Ricardo Felipe (2008). "Aau, el secreto de los chono" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved January 24, 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. Sepúlveda Ortíz, Jorge. "Exploraciones efectuadas en la región de Trapananda antes del siglo XIX" (PDF). Boletín de la Academia de Historia Naval y Marítima de Chile (in Spanish): 95–110. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
4. Álvarez A., Ricardo; Navarro P., Magdalena; Saavedra G., Gonzalo; Donoso C., Cristián (2015). "Referencias exploratorias sobre el lago Presidente Ríos, para sortear el Istmo de Ofqui, Península de Taitao, Región de Aysén" [Exploratory references on Presidente Ríos lake, for routes round the Ofqui Isthmus, Taitao Peninsula, Aysén Region, Chile]. Magallania (in Spanish). 43 (1): 91–101. doi:10.4067/S0718-22442015000100006. Retrieved December 21, 2019.