The Tuma River is a river located in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. The length of the Tuma is . The river, a left

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Río Grande de Matagalpa Río Grande de Matagalpa (, ''Awaltara'' in Miskito, ''Ucumulalí'' in Matagalpa) is a river of Nicaragua. Running from its source near Matagalpa to the Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè ...

, is located in the

Jinotega Jinotega () (derived from Náhuatl: ''Xiotenko'' ‘place next to the jiñocuajo trees’) is the capital city of the Department of Jinotega in north-central Nicaragua. The city is located in a long valley surrounded by the cool climate and D ...

and

Matagalpa Department Matagalpa () is a department in central Nicaragua. It covers an area of 6,804 km2 and has a population of 600,057 (2021 est). The capital is the city of Matagalpa with a population of about 111,000. Matagalpa is the second largest region o ...

North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987. It covers an area of 33,106 km2 and has a population of 541,189 (2021 estimate). It is the ...

, and

South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the re ...

. The source of the Tuma River is located in Jinotega Department, about 250 kilometers northeast of the capital,

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicar ...

. The river flows in the eastern direction, crosses into Matagalpa Department, in the lower course forms the border between Matagalpa Department and the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, and between the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region and the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region where it joins Río Grande de Matagalpa. The biggest towns on the banks of the Tuma are El Tuma in Matagalpa Department and Mulukuku in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. In 1964, President

Luis Somoza Debayle Luis Anastasio Somoza Debayle (18 November 1922 – 13 April 1967) was the 26th President of Nicaragua from 21 September 1956 to 1 May 1963. Somoza Debayle was born in León. At the age of 14, he and his younger brother Anastasio attended Sa ...

decided to dam the river with the Mancotal Dam to form Nicaragua's first

man-made lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

, Apanás Lake, which provides power for the 50-megawatt Centroamérica hydroelectric plant in the country's Central Highlands.About the Area
. Selva Negra. Retrieved on 2011-02-23. It is also an important recreational area, as the river and lake provide a good deal of tourism for Jinotega department.Guide to Apanás Lake at Worldsaurus.com

References

{{reflist Rivers of Nicaragua

See also

References