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Motagua Valley Thornscrub
The Motagua Valley thornscrub ecoregion (WWF ID: NT1312) is located in the Motagua River, Motagua valley in eastern Guatemala. Surrounded by mountains and receiving relatively little precipitation, the valley is one of the driest in Central America and is characterized by thorn scrub vegetation. It covers an area of 2330 km2 and belongs to the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. Location and description The Motagua Valley is one of the driest areas of Central America. It is surrounded by mountains, such as the Sierra de las Minas in the north, reaching heights of up 3000 meters and the Sierra del Merendón in the south, which reaches over 2000 meters. This xeric climate contrasts sharply with the cloud forests found higher up in the nearby mountains. Climate The climate of the ecoregion is ''Tropical savanna climate, Tropical savanna climate - dry winter'' (Köppen climate classification Köppen_climate_classification#Aw:_Tropical_sav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motagua River
The Motagua River () is a river in Guatemala. It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the Gulf of Honduras. The final few kilometres of the river form part of the Guatemala–Honduras border. The Motagua River basin covers an area of and is the largest in Guatemala. The Motagua River is believed to be the number one most plastic-emitting river in the world, contributing around two per cent of global plastic pollution emissions into the world's oceans annually. Overview The river runs in a valley that has the only known source of jadeitite (jade) in Mesoamerica, and was an important commerce route during the Pre-Columbian era. The important Maya site of Quirigua is near the river's north bank, as are several smaller sites with jade quarries and workshops. The Motagua river valley also marks the Motagua Fault, the tectonic boundary between the North American and the Caribbean Plates. The Motag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |