Río Jamapa
Río Jamapa | ||
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 | 0 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