Mopan (river)

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New River
The Mopan River at Bullet Tree Falls

The Mopan River at Bullet Tree Falls

Data
location Guatemala and Belize
River system Belize River
Drain over Belize River  → Caribbean Sea
source at Petén
16 ° 27 '42 "  N , 89 ° 13' 28"  W.
muzzle Confluence with Macal River to Belize River Coordinates: 17 ° 11 ′ 0 ″  N , 89 ° 4 ′ 0 ″  W 17 ° 11 ′ 0 ″  N , 89 ° 4 ′ 0 ″  W

The Mopan is a river in Central America called Río Mopan in Guatemala and Mopan River in Belize . The Belizean capital Belmopan is named after the river.

The river has its source in Peten in Guatemala and flows about 50 kilometers in a northerly direction before turning east and crossing the border with Belize at Benque Viejo del Carmen . There it flows through the Cayo District and merges at San Ignacio with the Macal River to form the Belize River .

The Mayan ruin Xunantunich is located around one kilometer from the Mopan, which must be crossed by means of a hand-operated ferry boat.

The Mopan was an important source of drinking water for a long time, but has become increasingly polluted in recent years.