Térraba River (Spanish: Río Grande de Térraba), in the southern Brunca region of Costa Rica, is the largest river in that country.[1]

Térraba River
Río Térraba
Térraba River
Térraba River is located in Costa Rica
Térraba River
Location of mouth
Location
CountryCosta Rica
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Pacific Ocean
 • coordinates
9°01′56″N 83°37′36″W / 9.032256°N 83.626742°W / 9.032256; -83.626742

The indigenous Boruca language name is Diquís which means "great river".[2] Its basin is 5,085 square kilometres (1,963 sq mi) and it is 160 kilometres (99 mi) long, covering ten percent of the country. It is a tributary from the confluence of the Río General and Río Coto Brus.[3] Pineapple plantations occupy 10,815 hectares (26,720 acres) in the basin, amounting to 21 percent of national production.[4] Mangrove cockles (Anadara tuberculosa and Anadara similis), known locally as piangua, are collected in the mangrove swamps and mud at the mouth of the Río Grande de Térraba.[5]

The Interamerican Highway partially follows the river course and crosses it with a bridge. Along the river lie the villages of Palmar Norte, Palmar Sur and Ciudad Cortés. The Térraba empties in the Pacific Ocean with six mouths: Mala, Brava, Chica, Zacate, Guarumal and Sierpe.[3] A nationally protected wetland, Humedal Nacional Térraba-Sierpe (Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands) is situated here in the mangroves along the coast.[6]

A proposed project to provide renewable energy to the region, El Diquís Hydroelectric Project, was cancelled. It would have covered 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) and required the relocation of 1,500 people.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Instituto Costarricense de Turismo map Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine, 2007. (in Spanish)
  2. ^ American Cultures > Pre-Columbian Cultures > Intermediate > Diquís > Environment and Geography Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Retrieved: 2012-11-05.
  3. ^ a b Río Grande de Térraba Guías Costa Rica. Retrieved: 2012-11-04. (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Caracterización Socioeconómica de la Cuenca del Río Grande de Térraba Escuela de Relaciones Internacionales, Universidad Nacional Heredia, 2010. (in Spanish)
  5. ^ The Fisheries for Mangrove Cockles Marine Fisheries Review, 2001.
  6. ^ "Terraba-Sierpe". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. ^ Project Website. Proyecto Hidroelctrico El Diquís Archived 2011-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
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