Nueva Loja[1] (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈnwe.βa ˈlo.xa]), also known as Lago Agrio, is the capital of the province of Sucumbíos in Ecuador.

[2] Nueva Loja is located in central Sucumbíos, in the Amazonian forest, and is one of the most important cities in northeastern Ecuador.

It was originally named after the town of Sour Lake, Texas by Texaco when the company established the oil-producing settlement.

The rainforest has been all but obliterated in this region and environmental degradation is severe, with catastrophic oil pollution in some areas.

On February 14, 2011, a judge in Lago Agrio ruled that Chevron, now owner of Texaco, had to pay $9 billion in environmental damages for polluting the rainforest.