The Chilanko River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Chilcotin District

Chilcotin District

The Chilcotin District of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains on the west side of the Fraser River....

 of the Central Interior

British Columbia Interior

The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...

 region of the Canadian province

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

 of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

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The name of the river derives from a Chilcotin

Chilcotin language

Chilcotin is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in British Columbia by the Tsilhqot’in people....

 word meaning "many beaver river".

Course

The Chilanko River flows east, generally parallel to the Chilcotin River

Chilcotin River

The Chilcotin River is a long tributary of the Fraser River in southern British Columbia, Canada. It drains the Chilcotin Plateau, which lies between the Fraser River and the Coast Mountains...

, turning south to join the Chilcotin near the community of Alexis Creek

Alexis Creek, British Columbia

Alexis Creek, also known as Anaham, is an unincorporated community in the Chilcotin District of the western Central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on Highway 20 between Williams Lake and Bella Coola...

, just above the confluence of the Chilko River

Chilko River

The Chilko River is a 75 km waterway in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, connecting Chilko Lake to the Chilcotin River. Its main tributary is the Taseko River....

. The settlement of Chilanko Forks

Chilanko Forks

Chilanko Forks is an unincorporated settlement as well as a First Nations community of the Tsilhqot'in people, lcoated on the north bank of the Chilanko River just northeast of Tatla Lake, and immediately south of Puntzi Lake, in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia. ...

 is located farther up the river, just northeast of Tatla Lake

Tatla Lake

Tatla Lake is a freshwater lake in the West Chilcotin area of British Columbia, Canada, situated just east of the community of Tatla Lake, British Columbia. This long, narrow lake, known for good Kokanee fishing, is part of the Fraser River drainage basin....

 and immediately south of Puntzi Lake

Puntzi Lake

Puntzi Lake is a lake in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is located on the western side of the upper Chilcotin River to the northeast of Tatla Lake, and is connected to the Chilcotin River via Puntzi Creek, of which it is an expansion...

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