Magdalena River

Course of the Magdalena River (blue)

Río Magdalena

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Río Magdalena ( Magdalena, Magdalena ) is a river with a length of 1538 km in the west of Colombia in South America. Its catchment area is 263,858 km ², making it as large as that of the Rhine, roughly.

• 2.1 Location and History
• 2.2 source
• 2.3 estuary

• 4.1 channels

• 5.1 flow

• 8.1 History of Shipping

Name

Etymology

The name of the stream has to do with its discovery by the Spanish conquerors. Its discoverer, Rodrigo de Bastidas, and his men landed on 1 April 1501 their ships at the mouth. As was customary at the time, they named the rivers and places by a saint. The day Saints on April 1 was Mary Magdalene.

Name and surname

The full name of the Río Magdalena says: Río Grande de la Magdalena. Translated from Spanish means " Great River of (Mary) Magdalena ".

The Indians had given the river different names. The Carib Indians on the lower reaches called the Río Magdalena Caripuana, which translated means " Big Water ". Some Indian peoples in the upper reaches called their part Guacacallo for "River of the graves ." Similarly, the name Yauma or Yuma ' for ' Friend of the River " is handed down. Hence the name Rio Yuma.

Geography

Location and History

The whole of the lower reaches of the Magdalena River cuts through the so-called Plain of the Magdalena River, which extends to the east to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and in the west to the Caribbean.

The Magdalena River rises in the Cordillera Central, where it is surrounded by extinct volcanoes, such as Alto del Purutal or Cerro de la pelota. Then the river flows east through the archaeological area of San Agustín. In this zone a few meters have been discovered large stone statues, whose origin is a mystery. The current measured at the narrowest point only 1.7 m. Then the Magdalena flows north into the plane that separates the Central Cordilleras of the Eastern Cordillera. So he shares virtually the mountains. The stream flows north through towns such as Neiva and Barrancabermeja. Next to El Banco Magdalena leaves of the mountain region and it comes to meeting with its largest tributary, the Rio Cauca. From here it flows to the northwest. Most recently, he flows north and Barranquilla in the Caribbean Sea.

Source

The Magdalena River originates on the mountain knot of Las Papas in the Central Cordilleras of the Laguna del Buey (also called Laguna de Magdalena ) under the second degree of north latitude. This is in the Colombian Administrative Department of Huila. Near the source is San Agustin.

Mouth

From the 11th degree of latitude to Barranquilla at the Río Magdalena, to divide into several arms and mouth to form a large delta begins. Here are islands that are covered with virgin forests and are exposed to heavy flooding. In the 1930s, the mouth was expanded and now Barranquilla is located right at the mouth. The fresh water of the Río Magdalena makes itself felt for miles to the mouth in the Caribbean Sea.

San Agustín

The famous archaeological zone of San Agustín was discovered in 1857 by Italian Agostino Codazzi. He saw dozens of stone sculptures. These sculptures are several meters in size and form from people, such as a priest with a snake or a ball player. Among the best known researchers who were there for such sculptures were the German Eduard Seler and Konrad Theodor Preuss.

Tributaries

The largest tributary of the Río Magdalena, the Cauca. While above the Honda river receives only small inflows because its valley has a small width, it receives below more important, such as the Río Carare, Río Sagamoso and Cesar River from the east and the Río quality, Rio Nare and Río Cauca from the west. The Magdalena River receives the Río Cauca Brazo de Loba by the. Above Honda there are small tributaries such as the Rio Sombrerillos or Matanzas River from the east and the River Mazamorras in the West. Overall, the Río Magdalena thousands of tributaries, but most of which are relatively small.

Channels

From the individual channels was formerly the leading to Cartagena El Dique the most important. Later, the greatest significance of walking towards the north channel, which flows below Sabanilla in the Antilles Sea received. At its mouth is a dangerous Barre.

Places on the river

In the catchment area ( with tributaries ) of the Río Magdalena live about 80 % of the total Colombian population. The largest city on the river is Barranquilla, which lies near the mouth of the Magdalena River in the Caribbean Sea. Barranquilla is also the most important seaport of Colombia. The city also has a agglomeration of 1.3 million inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city. Other cities are among the 50 largest cities in the country, as Neiva with 348 920 ( 15th place), Soledad with 320 115 ( 18 ), Barrancabermeja with 202 167 ( 27 ) and Girardot with 124 520 ( 40 ) residents. La Dorada is one with 45,000 inhabitants also to the larger cities.

Expiration

At the upper reaches of the still small Magdalena River flows through several small villages. The first major city is Neiva. Then again come small cities, such as La palmita or the Purification until Girardot then follows. After Guataquil and Cambao comes Honda, one of the major river ports of the river. Also for shipping the place has a meaning. Shortly after the Magdalena River flows through La Dorado, which even has an airport. Now follow over a long distance only small towns, including Puerto Gutiérrez, Puerto Boyacá Puerto Olaya or Puerto Carare. The river is now a stream, it follows Barrancabermeja, an important industrial city. Until Mompós there is again only smaller places, such as San Pablo, La Gloria, El Banco and Guamal.

The Magdalena River, which is already the Río Cauca received, is then pumped through the cities of Santa Ana, Plato, Calamar and Salamina. Calamar has an important river port.

Are the cities Sitionuevo, Soledad and finally Barranquilla at the mouth.

History

The Spaniard Rodrigo de Bastidas of Seville explored together with the cartographer Juan de la Cosa in 1501 with two ships, the largely unknown northern coast of South America. From the east, they came on April 1, 1501 the opening of the " great river ", the Rio Grande de la Magdalena. Bastidas and Cosa did not go up the river, but went further west.

A more detailed exploration ventured again until the Portuguese. On behalf of the Portuguese Queen Joanna of Castile Jerónimo de Melo drove on the upstream river flow. There she met the legendary kings of malambo.

The Deputy Governor Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada sailed the river in 1536 with 600 men in search of the source of the Rio Magdalena. The source, it was believed, is located in the Gold Country Piru. However, Gonzalo de Quesada and his team came up just to Barrancabermeja.

From April 6 to June 15, 1801 the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt visited the river on his trip to South America.

Indian

In the lower reaches previously lived the kings of malambo. In this area, the Caribs were located, a people, the cannibalism was said and from whose name the word perhaps derives cannibalism. The Kogi live in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountain near the mouth. Directly on the lower reaches have been living for decades as well as no more Indians.

At the headwaters live near today Indians. These include the Andaquies who live in the jungles particularly in the Amazon basin. Further south live the Uitoto. Their ancestors are some researchers as the builders of the mysterious stone sculptures of San Agustin. From about 1200 to 1540 lived at the headwaters of the Muisca.

Shipping

From the Magdalena River are about 1000 kilometers from the Caribbean coast to the inland port of Honda, navigable and the major transport route into the interior of Colombia. After the rapids at Honda another 240 kilometers navigable. From Neiva ( 437 m above sea level. M. ) on the river is navigable, but break above Honda ( 200 m above sea level. M. ) cataracts navigability to 150 km. Steamboats traveled the lower Magdalena 800 km far to Honda and since 1875 ( steamer Moltke ) and the location above the rapids route to Neiva.

History of Shipping

The natives navigate today the Magdalena River with boats called champan. These barges are made of cedar wood and are 15 to 20 m long. There is a half-round palm thatched roof approximately in the middle. They are moved by oars or punting. They were the only means of transportation on the river in front of the steam ships. To pass the entire flow upwards with these boats you need almost three months.

The first ships were steamships, such as the Mississippi River in the 19th century. They were introduced by German immigrants Johann Bernhard Elbers. On 2 July 1823 he was given the sole right of navigation on the Magdalena River. In January of the next year, the first ship named Fidelidad went on the river. Because of the many driftwood in the water, the paddle had to be laid in the ships. However, most ships sank due to various reasons ( engine failure, draft or the ship was too unstable ) and as more and more competitors who also wanted to have the right for the shipping came. There were several processes until the Colombian President Simón Bolívar declared the navigation for steamboats on 28 January 1837 the electricity for free.

Fauna

The fauna of the Río Magdalena is very different from the other South American rivers. Some typical for other South American rivers fish families such as the Sägesalmler that Wolfssalmler and Helogeninae completely absent, as are all of South America, the primary freshwater fish that do not belong to the superorder Ostariophysi, and the electric eel.

The fish fauna has the Río Magdalena resemblance to the Süßwasserfaunen on the Pacific side of Panama and the Colombian and Ecuadorian rivers that flow into the Pacific, as well as with the fauna of the Río Atrato, partly also with that of the Lake Maracaibo. The Magdalena River and the Río Atrato are indeed on the western side of the Andes, but opens into the Caribbean. Typical representatives of this fauna are the two types of Hechtsalmlergattung Ctenolucius that Barbensalmlergattung Ichthyoelephas, the rights tetras Argopleura and Gephyrocharax, as well as the armored catfish genera Charidolus, Crossoloricaria and Dasyloricaria and Priapichthys from the group of live-bearing tooth carp. A similar Faunenverwandtschaft and distribution show the freshwater snails.

The only cartilaginous fish of the Magdalena River are freshwater stingrays Potamotrygon magdalenae and the Common sawfish ( Pristis pristis ), actually a sea creature, but often also rivers to be found. A total of 122 fish species were recorded for the Magdalena River.

In the river two crocodile species occur, the American crocodile, and the crocodile caiman.

Industry

The valley of the Magdalena River, including that of the Río Cauca, is rich in oil and gas. These raw materials are sourced. Many cities in the vicinity have oil refineries, such as Barrancabermeja or Neiva. The former is the center of oil production. Barranquilla is a major industrial center with aluminum, glass and wood industry.