The Courantyne River ( ), also known as Corentyne and Corantijn (), 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 considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
in
Suriname
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
and
Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
. It is the longest
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in the country and creates the border between Suriname and the
East Berbice-Corentyne region of Guyana.
Its tributaries include
Kutari River,
Coeroeni River,
New River, and Zombie Creek. In Suriname;
Kabalebo River,
Lucie River,
Sipaliwini River,
Kutari River.
Course
The river runs through the
Guianan moist forests ecoregion.
It originates in the
Acarai Mountains and flows northward via the Boven (Upper) Courantyne which is the source river for approximately between
Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
and Suriname, emptying into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
near
Corriverton, 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 (political), capital city of the Nickerie District, Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link (Sur ...
, Suriname. A ferry service operates between these two towns. A bridge is to be built by
China Road and Bridge Corporation.
Small ocean-going vessels are able to navigate the river for about to
Apura, Suriname.
Waterfalls
The
Wonotobo Falls
The Wonotobo Falls (Dutch language, 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 lo ...
,
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 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. 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 entire Courantyne River.
Award of the Tribunal
Suriname has control over all ship traffic from the mouth of the Courantyne.
See also
* Corantijn Basin
* Borders of Suriname
* List of rivers of Guyana
* List of rivers of Suriname
*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
{{Rivers of Guyana
Rivers of the Tigri Area
Rivers of Suriname
Rivers of Guyana
Guyana–Suriname border
International rivers of South America
Nickerie District
Border rivers