Loa

Loa (lō`ä), longest river of Chile, 275 mi (443 km) long, flowing S from the Andes, N Chile, then W and N through the Atacama Desert, before turning W to the Pacific Ocean. It is not navigable but affords some water supply and hydroelectric power for copper and nitrate-mining communities in its vicinity.

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LOA

On drawings, abbr. for “length overall.”

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Loa 

a river in northern Chile. Length, approximately 400 km. The Loa River rises in the Cordillera Occidental, crossing the Atacama Desert in its middle course, and empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is fed primarily by subsoil water; fluctuations in the flow are negligible. The average water discharge at the river’s emergence from the mountains is 6 cu m per sec, and in the lower course, 4 cu m per sec. It is used for irrigation, and springs in the basin are the main source of water for the cities of Chuquicamata, Calama, and Antofagasta.