The Courantyne/Corentyne/Corantijn River is a river in northern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
in
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
and
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. It is the longest
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the country and creates the border between Suriname and the
East Berbice-Corentyne
East Berbice-Corentyne (Region 6) is one of ten regions in Guyana covering the whole of the east of the country. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Nickerie District and Sipaliwini District of Suriname to the east, Brazil to the sou ...
region of Guyana.
Its tributaries include
Kutari River
Kutari River, also called ''Cutari Rivier'', ''Kutari Creek'' or ''Cutari Creek'', is a small river at the South East of the Tigri Area in the extreme South of Suriname.
The river has its source in the Acarai Mountains that border Brazil.Ewan W. ...
,
Coeroeni River
The Coeroeni River is a river in South America. It arises in the Tumuc-Humac Mountains, which forms the drainage divide between Pará, Brazil, and Suriname; from there it flows northward. The river is fed by the Aramatau, Kutari and Sipaliwini Ri ...
,
New River, and Zombie Creek. In Suriname;
Kabalebo River
Kabalebo River is a river in Suriname. It joins with the Courantyne River near Apoera. A plan for a dam in the river serving a hydroelectric power plant is part of the West Suriname Plan of the 1960s. As of 2020, no construction has taken place. Pe ...
,
Lucie River,
Sipaliwini River
Sipaliwini River is a river of Suriname, the main source of the Courantyne River. It gives its name to the village of Sipaliwini Savanna and to the Sipaliwini District. It flows through the village of Kwamalasamutu. The name translates to thornback ...
,
Kutari River
Kutari River, also called ''Cutari Rivier'', ''Kutari Creek'' or ''Cutari Creek'', is a small river at the South East of the Tigri Area in the extreme South of Suriname.
The river has its source in the Acarai Mountains that border Brazil.Ewan W. ...
.
Course
The river runs through the
Guianan moist forests
The Guianan moist forests (NT0125) is an ecoregion in the east of Venezuela, north of Brazil and the Guyanas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana). It is in the Amazon biome.
The climate is hot and humid, with two rainy seasons each year. As of 1996 ...
ecoregion.
It originates in the
Acarai Mountains
The Acarai Mountains (also, Akarai Mountains) ( pt, Serra do Acaraí; french: Montes Acaraí) are a wet, forested highland region of low mountains located in the southern part of Guyana. This range lies along the common border between Guyana and B ...
and flows northward via the Boven (Upper) Courantyne which is the source river for approximately between
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
and Suriname, emptying into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
near
Corriverton
Corriverton is the most easterly town in Guyana. It lies at the mouth of the Corentyne River, opposite Nieuw Nickerie, Suriname, to which it is linked by ferry from South Drain.
Corriverton is located about 195 mi/313 km from Georget ...
, Guyana and
Nieuw Nickerie
Nieuw Nickerie. Retrieved 17 November 2009. is the third largest city in Suriname with a population estimated at . It is the capital city of the Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link.
Nieuw Nickerie lies on the mouth of the N ...
, Suriname. A ferry service operates between these two towns.
Small ocean-going vessels are able to navigate the river for about to
Apura, Suriname.
Waterfalls
The
Wonotobo Falls
The Wonotobo Falls (Dutch: ''Wonotobovallen'') are a series of waterfalls in the Courantyne River in Sipaliwini District, Suriname near the border with Guyana. The waterfalls are not navigable. A pre-Columbian petroglyph site is located near the ...
,
Frederik Willem IV (Anora) Falls, and the King Edward VI Falls are on the Courantyne River. Other falls include the Barrington Brown Falls, the Drios Falls and the Maopityan Falls.
Territorial dispute
Between the upper reaches of the Courantyne, the Upper Courantyne, the Coeroeni and the Koetari rivers lay the controversial
Tigri Area
The Tigri Area ( nl, Tigri-gebied) is a wooded area that has been disputed by Guyana and Suriname since around 1840. It involves the area between the Upper Corentyne River (also called the New River), the Coeroeni River, and the Kutari River ...
claimed by both Suriname and Guyana. The Guyanese–Surinamese border is the Guyanese river bank (the west bank of the river), Suriname regarded the left bank of the Courantyne as a border, but Guyana disputes this and viewed the center of the river as a frontier, based on the
Thalweg Doctrine
In geography and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse.
Under international law, a thalweg is the middle of the primary navigable channel of a waterway that defines the boun ...
. This conflict, which has been fueled since the colonial era, was solved in 2007 by a verdict by the Hague Arbitration Court, which settles the border between Guyana and Suriname on the left bank of the river, and the river water body belonging to Suriname. The tribunal that defined the maritime boundary between Suriname and Guyana in 2007 confirmed Surinamese sovereignty over the full width of the Courantyne River.
Award of the Tribunal
Suriname has control over all ship traffic from the mouth of the Courantyne.
See also
*Corantijn Basin
The Wonotobo Falls (Dutch: ''Wonotobovallen'') are a series of waterfalls in the Courantyne River in Sipaliwini District, Suriname near the border with Guyana. The waterfalls are not navigable. A pre-Columbian petroglyph site is located near the ...
*Borders of Suriname
The borders of Suriname consist of land borders with three countries: Guyana, Brazil, and France (via French Guiana). The borders with Guyana and France are in dispute, but the border with Brazil has been uncontroversial since 1906.
Eastern bor ...
*List of rivers of Guyana
This is a list of rivers in Guyana.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Atlantic Ocean
*''Amazon River'' (Brazil)
**''Negro River'' (Brazil)
***''Branc ...
*List of rivers of Suriname
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*List of rivers of the Americas by coastline
This list of rivers of the Americas by coastline includes the major coastal rivers of the Americas arranged by country. A link to a map of rivers with known coordinates is listed at right. The ocean coasts are demarcated as follows:
*Arctic O ...
References
{{reflist
Rivers of the Tigri Area
Rivers of Suriname
Rivers of Guyana
Guyana–Suriname border
International rivers of South America
Nickerie District
Border rivers