Patuca River

Patuca River

The Patuca is a river in northeastern Honduras, formed southeast of Juticalpa by the merger of the Guayape and Guayambre rivers. It is the second largest river in Central America.

The river flows to the northeast for approximately 10 miles before crossing the Mosquito Coast, and flowing into the Caribbean Sea at Patuca Point.

It was the proposed site of a major hydroelectric power project. However as of May 1999 the hydroelectric project was placed on indefinite hold due to environmental concerns. The proposed development involved flooding 42 km of intact rain forest, all of which was on the legislative track to either become part of the Patuca National Park or the Tawahka Biosphere Reserve "Asagni."

The Patuca is infamous within Honduras for a section of rapids known as "El Portal del Infierno" or "The Gates of Hell" which are know to have killed many a reckless river-goer.

At floodstage the Patuca can reach several miles in width. Indeed, it's tributary Guayape is known to exceed 2 miles in width nearly every year in areas that can be waded waist deep in the dry season.

The Patuca is also well know for it's lawless nether regions where small heavily armed groups of men dredge vast placer gold deposits in the areas up-river from the Mosquitia jungle.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/7525/ The Patuca Foundation]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Patuca River — ▪ river, Honduras Spanish  Río Patuca,         river in northeastern Honduras, formed southeast of Juticalpa by the merger of the Guayape and Guayambre rivers. It flows northeastward for approximately 200 miles (320 km), emerging from the… …   Universalium

  • Patuca — is a municipality in the south of the Honduran department of Olancho, east of Juticalpa and south of Catacamas. It contains the Patuca River which is the second largest in Central America.External links* [http://alexagui.bol.ucla.edu/patuca/… …   Wikipedia

  • Patuca — /pah tooh kah/, n. a river rising in E central Honduras and flowing NE to the Caribbean Sea. ab. 300 mi. (485 km) long. * * * …   Universalium

  • Patuca — /pah tooh kah/, n. a river rising in E central Honduras and flowing NE to the Caribbean Sea. ab. 300 mi. (485 km) long …   Useful english dictionary

  • Choluteca river basin — The Choluteca river basin lies on the hot and dry southern Pacific coast of Honduras, and is bordered by Nicaragua to the east. The name Choluteca, thought to mean ‘broad valley,’ originates from the indigenous Chorotega tribe who inhabited the… …   Wikipedia

  • Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve — Infobox protected area name = Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve iucn category = II locator x= |locator y= location = north eastern Honduras nearest city = Palacios lat degrees=15 |lat minutes=44 |lat seconds=40 |lat direction=N long degrees=84 |long… …   Wikipedia

  • Renewable energy in Honduras — In Honduras, there is an important potential of untapped indigenous renewable energy resources. Due to the likely long term trend of high oil prices, such resources could be developed at competitive prices.Currently only hydropower and biomass… …   Wikipedia

  • List of rivers of Honduras — Rivers in Honduras is a list of the rivers in Honduras, including those which it shares with its neighbours. The most important river in Honduras is the Ulúa, which flows 400 kilometers to the Caribbean through the economically important Valle de …   Wikipedia

  • List of rivers in Central America and the Caribbean — Belize= Costa RicaEl Salvador*Lempa RiverGuatemala*Motagua River *Usumacinta RiverHonduras*Patuca River *Ulua River *Chamelecon River *Aguan River *Humuya River *Choluteca River *Lean River *Coco River *Blanco River *Lempa River *Motagua… …   Wikipedia

  • Geografía de Honduras — Continente América Región América Central …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”