Guayas River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Guayas River is a river in western Ecuador. It gives name to the Guayas Province, and it is the most important river in South America that does not flow into the Atlantic Ocean or any of its seas. Its total length, including the Daule River, is 389 km.
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[edit] Geography
[edit] Course
The Guayas River has one of its sources in the Chimborazo (volcano), Ecuador's highest volcano, in the Andes. The coat of arms of Ecuador shows an image of the river descending from the mountain. However, "Guayas" is the name of the lower part of the river, which starts at the confluence of the Daule River in the west and the Babahoyo River, in the east, between the cities of Guayaquil and Durán, in the Guayas province. The Guayas River then divides in two to form the Santay Island, and afterwards it rejoins. From the confluence to the delta, 60 kilometers away, it borders Guayaquil and Durán cantons, and Guayaquil and Naranjal cantons, just before the delta.
[edit] Delta
The Guayas River forms a very complex delta. Its most important feature is the existence of a slough called Estero Salado, surrounded by swamps and affected by tides. The area between the Guayas River and the Estero Salado forms a maze of islands, some of which have been transformed into slums. The Cobina Slough connects the Estero Salado with the river.
The main course of the river is affected by tides, and forms a small group of islands; the most important of them is Mondragón. The river then meets the Gulf of Guayaquil, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Its influence is still noticeable in the Puná Island, and in the Jambelí Strait, in the province of El Oro.
[edit] Watershed
The Guayas River has the largest watershed in South America west of the Andes mountains. It has an area 34,500 km², in nine provinces: Los Ríos, Guayas, Bolívar, Manabí, Cañar, Pichincha, Azuay, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. The river discharges into the Gulf of Guayaquil 30 millions of cubic meters of water every year.
