Río Tempisque

Río Tempisque
Bridge over the Río Tempisque
Data
location	Costa Rica
River system	Río Tempisque
muzzle	Gulf of Nicoya ( Pacific ) Coordinates: 10 ° 11 ′ 35 "  N , 85 ° 14 ′ 7"  W 10 ° 11 ′ 35 "  N , 85 ° 14 ′ 7"  W
length	144 km
Catchment area	611 km²

The Río Tempisque is a 144 km long river that runs entirely in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica . It rises on the Orosí in the very north-west of the country and flows south. Eventually it flows into the Gulf of Nicoya , part of the Pacific Ocean .

On its way the Tempisque flows through the Parque Nacional Palo Verde , which is an important protected area for various animals such as crocodiles , monkeys , iguanas and birds .

In the estuary area, a bridge built in November 2002 spans the river. The bridge called El Puente de la Amistad Costa Rica-Taiwan was a gift from the Taiwanese government. Whereas the river previously had to be crossed by a ferry, which was a time-consuming process, the bridge now speeds up the transport links from large parts of the country to the Nicoya Peninsula .