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Pilcomayo is a river in central South America. At 1,100 kilometres long, it is the longest western tributary of the Paraguay River. Its drainage basin is 270,000 square kilometres in area, and its mean discharge is 200 cubic metres per second.Along its course, the Pilcomayo silts up and splits into two main branches, North and South. After some distance, these branches rejoin to form the Lower Pilcomayo.The Pilcomayo rises in the foothills of the Andes mountain range in the Bolivian Oruro Department, east of Lake Poopó. The Jach'a Juqhu River is considered the origin of the Pilcomayo. Upstream the Jach'a Juqhu River successively receives the names Aguas Calientes and Kachi Mayu. From the confluence with the Chillawa, the river is called Pilcomayo.