Riñihue Lake

Riñihue Lake
Sunset, view from Mocho-Choshuenco
Riñihue Lake
LocationLos Lagos Commune, Valdivia Province, Los Ríos Region, Chile
Coordinates39°50′36″S 72°17′39″W / 39.84333°S 72.29417°W / -39.84333; -72.29417
Primary inflowsEnco River
Primary outflowsSan Pedro River
Basin countriesChile/Argentina
Max. length28.6 km (17.8 mi)
Max. width5.2 km (3.2 mi)
Surface area77.5 km2 (29.9 sq mi)
Average depth162 m (531 ft)
Max. depth323 m (1,060 ft)
Water volume12.555 km3 (3.012 cu mi)
Shore length177 km (48 mi)
Surface elevation117 m (384 ft)
SettlementsRiñihue
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Riñihue Lake (Spanish: Lago Riñihue [riˈɲiwe]) is a lake of glacial origin in eastern Valdivia Province, southern Chile. It is surrounded by several mountains. The eastern side receives the waters of the Panguipulli Lake by the Enco River, its main contributor. It is the last of the Seven Lakes chain. In the west it is cut into two arms by the Tralcán Mount, and on the east side lies the Mocho-Choshuenco volcano. In the south the lake is bounded by the Cerros de Quimán mountains.

The lake's name derives from the Mapuche words rëngi, "cane", and hue, "place". In the 16th century the lake was known as Comohue, from co mu, "with water", and hue, "place".