Rio Cobre
| Rio Cobre | ||
 Flat Bridge over the Rio Cobre in February 2009 |
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| Data | ||
| location | Saint Catherine Parish ( Jamaica ) | |
| River system | Rio Cobre | |
| source | at Linstead | |
| muzzle | Between Portmore and Kingston in the Caribbean Sea Coordinates: 17 ° 59 ′ 4 " N , 76 ° 51 ′ 38" W 17 ° 59 ′ 4 " N , 76 ° 51 ′ 38" W |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| length | 50.9 km | |
The Rio Cobre , also known as the Copper River , is a river in Jamaica . It runs through the Parish Saint Catherine and has a length of 50.9 kilometers. The Rio Cobre is of great economic importance. It irrigates an acreage of 73 square kilometers and supplies Spanish Town with electricity.
course
The exact location of the source is unclear. The river has its source near the town of Linstead . Most maps describe the headwaters as an area of several, seasonally dry headwaters with an unnamed name. The highest point of the Rio Cobre is approximately 530 m above sea level (1,750 feet). After passing Spanish Town, it flows into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Portmore , which is separated from the capital Kingston by the river .
Attractions
Perhaps the most interesting place is a deep gorge through which the Rio Cobre runs. It is located between Bog Walk and the north of Spanish Town.
During the course along the A1 highway, it crosses the Rio Cobre. The so-called Flat Bridge , which was built in 1724 by the Englishman Edward Long , serves as an overpass . The single-lane structure is considered to be the first bridge in Jamaica. Between 1881 and 1915, the bridge's original wooden floor was replaced with steel girders and parts of the nearby May Pen Bridge that had previously been demolished. In the 1930s, the previously unsecured bridge was given a railing made of metal and later made of wood, which fell victim to strong storms. Currently the bridge is only secured by temporarily laid stones. For a long time there was no system for driving on the bridge, so that there were regular disputes between motorists and serious accidents with fatal consequences. A traffic light system was installed in the 1990s.
The Rio Cobre is dammed by the Rio Cobre Dam near Angels in the north of Spanish Town. It was built in the years 1872–1876 to ensure the drinking water supply of Spanish Town and to irrigate the plantations of sugar cane and bananas. In 1890 a power station was built that worked until 1966. In 1904 there was an accident while cleaning the pressure tunnels in which 33 workers lost their lives.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ my-island-jamaica.com
- ↑ Rivers in Jamaica (English)
- ↑ a b page no longer available , search in web archives: History of Saint Catherine at Jamaica Culture and Heritage