Río Jamapa

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Río Jamapa
Río Jamapa at Casa Blanca (Veracruz)

Río Jamapa at Casa Blanca ( Veracruz )

Data
location Mexico
River system Río Jamapa
source east of Citlaltépetl (or Pico de Orizaba )
15 ° 5 ′ 50 ″  N , 97 ° 2 ′ 0 ″  W
Source height 1500  m
muzzle Gulf of Mexico Coordinates: 19 ° 6 ′ 20 ″  N , 96 ° 6 ′ 28 ″  W 19 ° 6 ′ 20 ″  N , 96 ° 6 ′ 28 ″  W
Mouth height m
Height difference 1500 m
Bottom slope 4.1 ‰
length 368 km
Catchment area 4061 km²
Drain MQ
8 m³ / s
Right tributaries Río Cotaxtla (or Río Atoyac )
Medium-sized cities Boca del Río

The only 368 km long Río Jamapa is one of the larger rivers in Mexico , measured by the amount of water it carries .

geography

The two source rivers of the Río Jamapa - which unite after about 30 km - arise at an altitude of about 1,500 m at Huatusco de Chicuellar in the eastern foothills of the Citlaltépetl (also called Pico de Orizaba ), the highest mountain in Mexico at 5,638 m. The river flows in many bends first through the Sierra Madre Oriental , then later through the coastal plain in an easterly direction. It receives additional water from several smaller streams and flows into the Gulf of Boca del Río , which is only a suburb of Veracruz , in the city ​​of Boca del Río , after the confluence of the water from the Río Cotaxtla (or Río Atoyac ), which has long been parallel to the south Mexico .

economy

The hinterland of the Río Jamapa and its tributaries was cleared for centuries. The surrounding landscape is now characterized by sugar cane and maize fields as well as pastures. In 2010, Hurricane Karl caused significant storm and flood damage in the river mouth.

Attractions

Because of the frequent flooding, there were no pre-Columbian settlements along the river; however, on the Río Cotaxtla, which runs further south, lies the Aztec temple pyramid of Huatusco . The Spaniards, too, concentrated their activities further north or south, where better and more protected ports could be found (Veracruz, Tlacotalpan , Coatzacoalcos ).

environmental pollution

Fertilizers , pesticides and human waste water ( aguas negras ) end up in the river along with plastic waste . Due to its small catchment area of ​​only about 4,000 km² and the lack of industrialization, the pollution of the Río Jamapa is still limited compared to other Mexican rivers.

See also