Río San Juan (Nicaragua)
| Río San Juan | ||
 Rio San Juan (2009) |
||
| Data | ||
| location | Río San Juan in Nicaragua (border with Costa Rica ) | |
| River system | Río San Juan | |
| origin |
Lake Nicaragua near San Carlos 11 ° 7 ′ 9 ″ N , 84 ° 46 ′ 41 ″ W |
|
| Source height | 31 m | |
| muzzle | at San Juan de Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea Coordinates: 10 ° 56 ′ 24 ″ N , 83 ° 41 ′ 58 ″ W 10 ° 56 ′ 24 ″ N , 83 ° 41 ′ 58 ″ W |
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| Mouth height | 0 m | |
| Height difference | 31 m | |
| Bottom slope | 0.16 ‰ | |
| length | 199 km | |
| Left tributaries | Río Sábalos | |
| Right tributaries | Río Pocosol, Río San Carlos, Río Sarapiquí, Río Colorado | |
The Río San Juan rises at the southeastern end of Lake Nicaragua near San Carlos and flows 199 kilometers eastwards through tropical rainforest to its mouth. It flows into the Caribbean Sea at San Juan de Nicaragua (formerly: Greytown) .
From Bartola to the mouth, the river bank forms the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica , with the river being part of the Nicaraguan national territory along its entire length.
River course
On the upper reaches between Lake Nicaragua and El Castillo , the river is wide and flows calmly and curvy through a relatively well-populated area with numerous settlements and pastureland. From El Castillo there are passages in which rapids turn the river into a raging body of water. The banks here consist of tropical rainforest and there is only a sparse settlement. Between El Castillo and its mouth, the Río San Juan flows through the La Reserva Indio-Maíz nature reserve . In the river there are numerous elongated islands covered by tropical vegetation.
About 25 kilometers from the mouth, the river divides into several arms and forms a delta with numerous lagoons and islands (e.g. Isla Calero and Isla Brava ). The largest of the estuary arms, the Río Colorado , flows into the Caribbean on Costa Rican territory ( 10 ° 48 ′ 2 ″ N , 83 ° 35 ′ 15 ″ W ). Barra del Colorado is on the coast .
With the exception of the rapids and the delta, the Río San Juan is navigable for larger ships.
history
From 1502 on, Christopher Columbus explored the Caribbean coast on his fourth voyage to the New World while trying to find a sea route to the west. In 1525 the first Spaniards crossed the Río San Juan into Lake Nicaragua as far as Granada . However, their search for a connection between the lake and the Pacific was unsuccessful. The Spanish conquistadors named the river Rio Desaguadero .
In the 17th century, pirates often crossed the river into Lake Nicaragua and plundered the wealthy city of Granada. English ships also managed the passage, so that in 1672 the Spaniards decided to build a fort near El Castillo in order to put a stop to the constant invasions. The fort was completed in 1675.
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At the end of the 19th century, the Río San Juan was the subject of an ambitious plan: it should be expanded for seagoing ships; between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific a canal was to establish the connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific. This plan for a Nicaragua Canal competed with the plan to implement the project in Panama . Ultimately, the construction of the Panama Canal was implemented.
Covered by the jungle, the remains of the English colonization Greytown are at the mouth of the river, not far from the town of San Juan del Norte . At the beginning of the 20th century, this city attracted many lucky seekers. After the canal construction was stopped, the city was abandoned. In the war of the Contras against the Sandinista , the area around Greytown was contested and heavily mined.
For a long time there was a dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua as to whether the border ran in the middle of the river or on the south bank. Small military skirmishes repeatedly occurred. In 2005, after a meeting between the two presidents, there was a rapprochement; In 2009 the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the Nicaragua River - the territory of Costa Rica begins on the south bank. When workers from Nicaragua dumped mud from the river on the Isla Calero island in the river delta in October 2010, the dispute started again. In early 2011, the membership of Isla Calero was heard before the International Court of Justice.
Points of contention
Since the plans to build a Nicaragua Canal have been publicly and more specifically considered for several years now, property disputes between Costa Rica and Nicaragua are already leading to a high level of rivalry between the inhabitants of both countries. Murders committed against Nicaraguans who were (often illegal) workers in Costa Rica are becoming more and more popular.
traffic
From the starting point of the river in San Carlos on Lake Nicaragua, small passenger and supply boats regularly drive down the river via El Castillo to San Juan del Norte. Due to the silting up of the river, continuous navigation is only possible in times of high water levels. In times of little rain, small passenger boats are pounded through the shallow areas by hand. Again and again larger excursion boats get stuck. This results in restrictions for the tourist development. The supply of gasoline for the outboard motors is a major problem.
tourism
Modest tourism has been established in the Rio San Juan region for several years. Individual travelers, round trips and lodge tourism are predominant. Especially in the side arms and in the estuary, tourists (mainly US citizens) are flown to exclusive all-inclusive lodges via Costa Rica. The better connection of the town of San Carlos to Granada (new fast ferries across Lake Nicaragua) and Managua (regional flights) means that more tourists come to the region.
Movie and TV
- The bare feet of Nicaragua (FRG 1983)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Border dispute in Central America - alarm due to 2.7 square kilometers , taz January 11, 2011
- ↑ The Öko-Strom in Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung from July 10, 2011, pages V 1 and 2