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Cordilleras

Cordillera Chila

The Cordillera Chila, consisting of three mountain groups, is in the Cordillera Occidental between lat 15°02' and 15°26'S. and long 71°43' and 72°37'W. The range trends in an easterly direction for about 80 km. The glacierized area, estimated from Landsat images, is 52 km². The highest peak is the Nevado Mismi at 5,556 m asl. Drainage is westward by Río Colca into the Pacific Ocean and northeastward by Río Apurimac. At the base of Nevado Quehuisha, the world's largest river, Río Amazonas, has its origin in the Río Apurimac.