Lempa River
Encyclopedia
The Lempa River is a 422 km long river in Central America
. Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón
in southern Guatemala
, near the town of Olopa
. In Guatemala the river is called Río Olopa and flows southwards for 30.4 km before entering Honduras
and changing its name to Lempa river at 14.547700°N 89.264002°W. In Honduras it flows through Ocotepeque Department for 31.4 km, and crosses the border with El Salvador
at the town of Citalá
(14.371857°N 89.212439°W) in the department of Chalatenango
. The river continues its course for another 360 km in El Salvador, flowing in a generally southwards direction until it reaches the Pacific Ocean
in the department of San Vicente
. The river forms a small part of the international boundary between El Salvador and Honduras.
The river's watershed
has an extension 18,246 km², of which 10,255 km2 (56%) is situated in El Salvador, 5,696 km2 in Honduras and 2,295 km2 in Guatemala. 49% of El Salvador's territory is covered by the Lempa river basin, and 77.5% of the Salvadoran population lives in cities, towns, and villages that are located in its basin, including the capital city of San Salvador
.
, the 5 de Noviembre dam, and the 15 de Septiembre dam which can be easily seen from the Pan-American highway
.
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón
Sierra del Merendón
Sierra del Merendón is a mountain range extending on the eastern border of Guatemala and Honduras. Its south-western border is marked by the Lempa River valley, its northern border by the Motagua River valley...
in southern Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, near the town of Olopa
Olopa
Olopa is a municipality in the Chiquimula department of Guatemala. The 16,000 residents of Olopa reside in 1 town and 29 villages.It is bordered on the north by the municipality of Jocotán, on the south and east by Esquipulas, and on the west by Quezaltepeque and San Juan Hermitage...
. In Guatemala the river is called Río Olopa and flows southwards for 30.4 km before entering Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and changing its name to Lempa river at 14.547700°N 89.264002°W. In Honduras it flows through Ocotepeque Department for 31.4 km, and crosses the border with El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
at the town of Citalá
Citalá
Citalá is a municipality in the Chalatenango department of El Salvador.-Church del Pilar-Citalá:It is located in Villa of Citalá, head of the municipality of the same name, 47 km from Chalatenango and in the suburbs of the frontier of Honduras. It has an elevation of 788 meters over sea level...
(14.371857°N 89.212439°W) in the department of Chalatenango
Chalatenango Department
Chalatenango is a department of El Salvador, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is the city of Chalatenango. The Chalatenango Department encompasses 2,017 km² and contains more than 220,000 inhabitants. Las Matras Archaeological Ruins contains the relics of prehistoric...
. The river continues its course for another 360 km in El Salvador, flowing in a generally southwards direction until it reaches the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in the department of San Vicente
San Vicente
San Vicente can refer to:*Argentina**San Vicente, Buenos Aires**San Vicente Partido*Bolivia**San Vicente Canton, Bolivia and its seat San Vicente*Chile**San Vicente, Chile*Colombia**San Vicente del Caguán** San Vicente, Antioquia...
. The river forms a small part of the international boundary between El Salvador and Honduras.
The river's watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
has an extension 18,246 km², of which 10,255 km2 (56%) is situated in El Salvador, 5,696 km2 in Honduras and 2,295 km2 in Guatemala. 49% of El Salvador's territory is covered by the Lempa river basin, and 77.5% of the Salvadoran population lives in cities, towns, and villages that are located in its basin, including the capital city of San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
.
Hydroelectricity
There are several hydroelectric dams along the river. In El Salvador there is the Guayojo dam, the Cerrón Grande Hydroelectric DamCerrón Grande Hydroelectric Dam
The Cerrón Grande Hydroelectric Dam spans the Lempa River 78 km north of San Salvador in the municipalities of Potonico, and Jutiapa in El Salvador....
, the 5 de Noviembre dam, and the 15 de Septiembre dam which can be easily seen from the Pan-American highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
.