The Coppename is a river in
Suriname (South America) in the district of
Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of
Coronie
Coronie is a district of Suriname, situated on the coast. Coronie's capital city is Totness. The district border the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Surinamese district of Saramacca to the east, the Surinamese district of Sipaliwini to the sou ...
and
Saramacca.
Course
![Bailey-Coppename River](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Bailey-Coppename_River.jpg)
The Coppename river begins in the
Wilhelmina Mountains
The Wilhelminagebergte () is a mountain range in the district of Sipaliwini in central Suriname. It extends about from west to east. It is named after Queen Wilhelmina. The Wilhelminagebergte is part of the Tumucumaque Uplands of the Guiana Shie ...
. Its tributaries are the Right Coppename (which originates on the northeast slope of the Wilhelmina range,
Tafelberg, and the western parts of the
Emmaketen), the Left Coppename, and the middle Coppename, which has its sources in the western and central parts of the north side of the Wilhelmina mountains and from the south east region of the
Bakhuys Mountains.
The three branches of the Coppename unite above the
Tonckens Falls and then flows past Hebiweri Mountain. Below the Sidonkrutu-rapids it joins with the Adampada, which drains most of the eastern slope of the Bakhuys range. Below the Langa rapids, the river bends to the east and above the
Raleigh Falls is joined by the Tangimama, which rises in the northern foothills of the Emmaketen.
The Raleigh Falls, together with the nearby
Voltz Mountain and the
Van Stockum range, are a tourist attraction, which can be reached by a small airplanes.
After being joined by the Kwama, the Coppename flows further north and passes the
Maroon villages of
Kaaimanston,
Bitagron
Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname.
In the local language ''Bitagron'' means 'Land of my forefathers'. Witagron ...
and
Heidoti
Heidoti is a village in Boven Saramacca municipality (resort) in Sipaliwini District in Suriname. Heidoti is home to Maroons of the Kwinti tribe.
Heidoti had been built as a camp by the Geological and Mining Services, and was later settled by Ni ...
. Once in the old coastal plain, the Coppename is joined by the
Wayambo River
The Wayambo River (also: Wayombo) is a river of Suriname. The river is part of an inland waterway connecting the harbour of Nieuw-Nickerie with Paramaribo.
The river forms a natural bifurcation: at the source, the water can flow westwards to the ...
, which forms a
bifurcation
Bifurcation or bifurcated may refer to:
Science and technology
* Bifurcation theory, the study of sudden changes in dynamical systems
** Bifurcation, of an incompressible flow, modeled by squeeze mapping the fluid flow
* River bifurcation, the ...
between the Coppename and the
Nickerie River
The Nickerie River is a river in the northwestern part of Suriname.
The river originates in the Bakhuis Mountains and then flows to the North where it forms part of the border between the Coronie and Nickerie districts. The river then turns Wes ...
s.
Finally, the
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
, the
Tibiti and
Coesewijne join it. The Coppename and
Saramacca River
Saramacca River is a river in Suriname. The Arawaks named this river "Surama", and today's name "Saramacca" is probably derived from it. It originates in the Wilhelmina Mountains and flows northwards and enters the Atlantic Ocean together with t ...
s unite and flow together into the Atlantic.
See also
*
Coppename Bridge
References
*C.F.A. Bruijning und J. Voorhoeve (red.): ''Encyclopedie van Suriname''. Amsterdam u. Brussel 1977, B.V. Uitgeversmaatschappij Argus Elsevier; .
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Rivers of Suriname