The Rio Grande de Mindanao, also known as the Mindanao River, is the second-largest river system in the Philippines. Located on the southern island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, with a total

drainage area A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...

of , draining the majority of the central and eastern portion of the island, and a total length of approximately .''Principal River Basins of the Philippines'', published by the National Water Resources Board, October 1976 (p. 12) It is an important transportation artery, used mainly in transporting agricultural products and, formerly,

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

. Its

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

are in the mountains of

Impasugong Impasugong, officially the Municipality of Impasugong ( Binukid and Higaonon: ''Bánuwa ta Impasug-ung''; ceb, Lungsod sa Impasugong; tl, Bayan ng Impasugong), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to th ...

Bukidnon Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...

, south of

Gingoog City Gingoog, officially the City of Gingoog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Hingoog; fil, Lungsod ng Gingoog), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,698 people. L ...

Misamis Oriental Misamis Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Misamis; tl, Silangang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Oriental, is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital, largest city and provincial center is th ...

, where it is called the

Pulangi River The Pulangi River ( Cebuano pronunciation IPA uˈlaŋi, also spelled Pulangui, is one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, an extensive river system in Mindanao, Philippines. With a length of , it is the longest river in Buk ...

. Joining the

Kabacan River The Kabacan River is a river in the province of Cotabato in the Philippines. It is a tributary of the Pulangi River, discharging at Kayaga, Kabacan, Cotabato. Flooding Flooding occurs during heavy rainfall, thunderstorms A thundersto ...

, it becomes the Mindanao River. Flowing out of the mountains, it forms the center of a broad, fertile plain in the southcentral portion of the island. Before its mouth in the

Illana Bay Illana Bay, also known as the Iranun Bay, is a large bay of the Moro Gulf, off the southwestern coast of Mindanao island in the Philippines. Illana Bay and Moro Gulf form part of the Celebes Sea. See also *Sibuguey Bay Sibuguey Bay is a larg ...

, it splits into two parallel sections, the Cotabato and Tamontaka, separated by a hill. Population centers along the river include

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato ( Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi: كوتا نو كوتاواتو; Iranun: ''Bandar a Kotawato'', بندر ا كوتاواتو; fil, Lungsod ng Cotabato), is a third class independent co ...

Datu Piang * * * * * 1846 births 1933 deaths Members of the Philippine Legislature Filipino datus, rajas and sultans Filipino Muslims People from Cotabato City {{philippines-bio-stub Filipino politicians of Chinese descent

and

Midsayap Midsayap, officially the Municipality of Midsayap ( Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Midsayap'', Jawi: ايڠايد نو ميدسايڤ; Iranun: ''Inged a Midsayap'', ايڠايد ا ميدسايڤ; hil, Banwa sang Midsayap; ceb, Lungsod sa Midsayap ...

Course

The Rio Grande de Mindanao has its source in the Central Mindanao Highlands near the northern coast of the island, specifically on the northeastern part of the province of

, where it is known as the

. It then flows southward across the Bukidnon Plateau, fed up by its tributaries along the way and then emerges onto the Cotabato plains, depositing fertile mountain

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

as it widens and arcs westward through the Cotabato River Basin. It finally empties into

at its mouth at

. As the Mindanao River meets

, it branches out into two

distributaries A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary ...

, the Cotabato in the north and the Tamontaka in the south at Cotabato City.

Tributaries

Rio Grande de Mindanao River List of tributaries by length. *

* Kabulnan River * Allah River * Buluan River *

Simuay River The Simuay River is a river in the Philippines with its source at Lanao del Sur in the Piapayungan range, and its mouth at is at Illana Bay through the Mindanao River The Rio Grande de Mindanao, also known as the Mindanao River, is the secon ...

Libungan River The Libungan River is a river on Mindanao island in the Philippines. It springs on the slopes of Mount Piapayungan and flows south through the town of Alamada, Cotabato. At the town of Libungan, Cotabato, the river turns south-west and forms the ...

M'lang River The M'lang River is a river located in the municipality of M'lang in Cotabato province in the Philippines. It directs from Liguasan Marsh to Pulangi River basin in flow of Mindanao River The Rio Grande de Mindanao, also known as the Mindanao ...

Water hyacinths

The river has recently been clogged with

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

ordered public works and military personnel to clear the river of up to of water lily growth.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of the Philippines Geography of Mindanao Landforms of Bukidnon Landforms of Cotabato Landforms of Maguindanao Landforms of Maguindanao del Norte Landforms of Maguindanao del Sur