The Cuyuní River is a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n river and a tributary of the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River (; originally called by Alonso de Ojeda; ) is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon River, Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana border, the Essequibo flows ...

. It rises in the Guiana Highlands of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, where it descends northward to

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

, and turns eastward to meander through the tropical rain forests of the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region of

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. 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 Highland ...

. The Cuyuní River marks a border in the Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute for approximately . Makarapan Mountain is a sandstone range by the Cuyuní.

History

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

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

for the use of the Dutch garrison. By 1694, a new plantation on the Cuyuní River above the fort was established. By 1703 a post was established on the Pariacot Savannah, in the upper Cuyuní. On January 2, 1895, the "incident of the Cuyuní 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, 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 (, ) 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. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

gold and attracts mining in the form of dredging.

Illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission. Illegal mining is the extraction of precious metals/rocks without following the proper procedures to participate in legal mining activity. These procedures include pe ...

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 Cuyuní River. Development of a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power site is under consideration at Kamaria on the Cuyuní River.

Venezuela

is a Venezuelan settlement on the Cuyuní River.

Guyana

Some of the Kali'na people live in the Cuyuní River valley, part of which is in

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

References

{{Rivers of Guyana Rivers of Guyana Rivers of Venezuela Essequibo basin International rivers of South America Guyana–Venezuela border Border rivers

History

Settlement

Venezuela

Guyana

See also

References