Grijalva River

Grijalva River, also Tabasco R. (Spanish: Río Grijalva, known locally also as Río Chiapa) is a 480 km. long river in southeastern Mexico."Grijalva." "Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary", 3rd ed. 2001. (ISBN 0-87779-546-0) Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., p. 450.] It is named after Juan de Grijalva who visited the area in 1518. [Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico." Da Capo Press, 1996. p. 21] The river rises in Chiapas highlands and flows from Chiapas to the state of Tabasco through the Sumidero Canyon into the Bay of Campeche. The river's drainage basin is 134,400 km² in size. [ [http://www.geol.lsu.edu/WDD/N_AMERICAN/Grijalva/grijalva.htm World Delta Database] ]

After flowing from Lake Nezahualcoyotl, an artificial lake created by the hydroelectric Malpaso Dam, Grijalva River turns northward and eastward, roughly paralleling the Chiapas-Tabasco state border. Flowing through Villahermosa (where, in 2001, a new cable-stayed bridge was constructed to cross the river), it receives the main arm of the Usumacinta River and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 10 km. northwest of Frontera. The river is navigable by shallow-draft boats for approximately 100 km upstream.

ee also

*Chiapas bridge

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