Mopan (river)
New River | ||
The Mopan River at Bullet Tree Falls |
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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. |
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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
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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.