The Motagua River () is a river in
Guatemala.
It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the
Gulf of Honduras
The Gulf or Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. From north to south, it runs for approximately 200 km (125 miles) from Dangriga, Belize, to La Ceiba, Honduras. ...
.
The final few kilometres of the river form part of the
Guatemala–Honduras border
The Guatemala–Honduras adjacency line is a disputed international boundary separating Guatemala on the north and west from Honduras on the south and east. The border dispute and being adjudicated in the ICJ as of 2019.
Its length is . It is ...
. The Motagua River basin covers an area of and is the largest in Guatemala.
The Motagua River is believed to be the number one most plastic-emitting river in the world, contributing around two per cent of global
plastic pollution emissions into the world's oceans annually.
Overview
The river runs in a valley that has the only known source of
jadeitite (jade) in Mesoamerica, and was an important commerce route during the
Pre-Columbian era. The important
Maya site of
Quirigua is near the river's north bank, as are several smaller sites with jade quarries and workshops.
The Motagua river valley also marks the
Motagua Fault
The Motagua Fault (also, Motagua Fault Zone) is a major, active left lateral-moving transform fault which cuts across Guatemala. It forms part of the tectonic boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. It is considered ...
, the
tectonic boundary between the
North American and the
Caribbean Plate
The Caribbean Plate is a mostly Oceanic crust, oceanic tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of South America.
Roughly 3.2 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) in area, the Caribbea ...
s. The Motagua fault has been the source of several major
earthquakes in Guatemala
Earthquakes are relatively frequent occurrences in Guatemala. The country lies in a major fault zone known as the Motagua and Chixoy-Polochic fault complex, which cuts across Guatemala and forms the tectonic boundary between the Caribbean Pla ...
.
"World’s most polluted river"
Much like
Lake Amatitlán
Lake Amatitlán (''Lago Amatitlán'', ) is a lake located within the Amatitlán caldera in south-central Guatemala, fairly close to Guatemala City. It lies in the central highlands, 1,186 m (3890 feet) above sea level. Its maximum depth is ...
, the river is highly polluted with untreated
sewage,
industrial waste
Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, mills, and mining operations. Types of industrial waste include dirt an ...
, tons of sediment (garbage) and blackwater from
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nes ...
. It is "considered the world’s most polluted river" and accounts for about 2 percent of the total emissions of plastic into the world’s oceans. As such,
The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit environmental engineering organization based in the Netherlands, that develops technology to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and intercept it in rivers before it can reach the ocean. After initial testi ...
chose it as the test site for its experimental "Interceptor Trashfence," which attempts to filter out solid pollutants as they flow downriver.
Tributaries
Left
Río Cocoyá
Acatenango is a town and municipality in the Chimaltenango department of Guatemala. It is in this municipality that the Acatenango volcano is located. The town is in the valley of the Cocoyá River.
History
Spanish colony
The Catholic faith of ...
, Río Cotón, Río Suchicul, Río Morazán, Río Comajá, Río Lato, Río Huijo, Río La Palmilla, Río Teculutan, Río Pasabien, Río Hondo, Río Jones, RíoLos Achiotes, Río Mayuelas, Río El Lobo, Quebrada Agua Fría, Quebrada La Vegega, Río Las Conchas
Right
Río Chipaca, Rio Agua Escondida, Rio Quisaya, Rio Pixcayá, Río Cotzibal,
Río Las Vacas, Río Grande, Río Ovejas, Río El Tambor, Río San Vicente,
Río Grande o Zapaca, Río Carí, Río Las Naranjas, Río Biafra, Río El Islote, Río Jubuco, Río Lagarto, Río Tepemechín, Río Juyamá,
Río Bobos, Río Animas, Río Chiquito, Río Nuevo o Cacao
References
External links
Map of Guatemala including the river
{{Authority control
Rivers of Guatemala
Rivers of Honduras
Geography of Mesoamerica
International rivers of North America
Guatemala–Honduras border
Border rivers