The Cuyuni River is a

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

river and a tributary of the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River ( Spanish: ''Río Esequibo'' originally called by Alonso de Ojeda ''Río Dulce'') is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana b ...

. It rises in the

Guiana Highlands The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, where it descends northward to El Dorado, and turns eastward to meander through the tropical rain forests of the

Cuyuni-Mazaruni Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7) is a region of Guyana. Venezuela claims the territory as part of Guayana Esequiba. It borders the regions of Barima-Waini, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara and Pomeroon-Supenaam to the north, the region of Upper De ...

Region of Guyana. It finally turns southeastward, flowing to its confluence with the

Mazaruni River The Mazaruni River is a tributary of the Essequibo River in northern Guyana. Its source is in the remote western forests of the Pakaraima Mountains and its confluence with the Cuyuni River is near Bartica. As it descends from the Guiana Highlands ...

. The Cuyuni River marks the limit of the disputed territory of Guyana Essequibo for approximately . Makarapan Mountain is a sandstone range by the Cuyuni.

History

In 1681, an island in the mouth of the Cuyuni River was cleared and planted with

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

for the use of the Dutch garrison. By 1694, a new plantation on the Cuyuni River above the fort was established. By 1703 a post was established on the Pariacot Savannah, in the upper Cuyuni. On January 2, 1895, the "Incident of the Cuyuni river", so named by the general , was an armed confrontation between Venezuelans and British in the region of the river over the territorial dispute between

and

British Guyana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was ...

, which under Sifontes the Venezuelans left winners. English Station on the Cuyuni River

At dawn, British policemen led by an Inspector Barnes of England took an unoccupied military station of Venezuelan nationality, located on the left bank of the river. Barnes’ men hoisted the British flag during the day. Captain Andrés Avelino Domínguez, second in command of Sifontes, was sent to recover the settlement. The result was the withdrawal of the British and the capture of Barnes and his men, who were taken to the General Police Station, which increased tensions between the two countries amid an internal crisis in Venezuela.

Settlement

The river is a source of

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. All ...

gold and attracts mining in the form of dredging.

Illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the ca ...

also occurs on the river banks, and mining also has exacerbated the border issue between Guyana and Venezuela. Large-scale mining operation Aurora gold mine is on the Cuyuni River. Development of a hydroelectric power site is under consideration at Kamaria on the Cuyuni River.

Venezuela

El Dorado is a Venezuelan settlement on the Cuyuni River.

Guyana

Some of the Kali'na people live in the Cuyuni River valley, part of which is in Guyana. Eteringbang is a border settlement with an airstrip. Saint Martin and Ankoko Island have been the subject of further disputes between Venezuela and Guyana. In 2015, GDF forces continued observation from Eteringbang and Kaikan and other points along the river. The town of

Bartica Bartica, Essequibo, is a town on the left bank of the Essequibo River in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7), at the confluence of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni Rivers with the Essequibo River in Guyana. It is the regional capital of Cuyuni-Mazaruni. Conside ...

is close to the mouth of the Cuyuni where it meets with the confluence of Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers.

References

{{coord, 6, 23, N, 58, 41, W, display=title, region:GY_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of Guyana Rivers of Venezuela History of Guyana Essequibo basin International rivers of South America Guyana–Venezuela border Border rivers

History

Settlement

Venezuela

Guyana

See also

References