Saint John River (Liberia)

The Saint John River is a river in the West African Republic of Liberia, he was first achieved in the 15th century by Portuguese sailors and flows some 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Monrovia in the Atlantic. The total length of the Saint John River is 282 km, the catchment area is indicated with 14,762 km ².

The headwaters of the Saint John River is formed by the Mani River and is located in the territory of the Nimba Mountains in the highlands of Guinea. His flow direction changes in the area covered by rain forest catchment in the upper reaches in an arc to the southwest. At Mount Goklu, about 15 kilometers west of Sanniquellie are the Saint John Water Falls, a popular tourist destination. The effluent south river forms the upper reaches to the city Yalata the border between Guinea and Liberia. In Liberia flow near the town Niatande several streams, if it " creates " the Saint John River and now marks the boundary between the province of Nimba County and the Bong County and the middle reaches between the Bong County and the Grand Bassa County. At the already partially obstructed by a cash funnel-shaped mouth of the Saint John River, the port cities of Buchanan and Edina were created in the 19th century.

The water flow of the river changes in the seasonal course resistant:

• The upper reaches, at the hydrographic station Baila, catchment area 572 km ², the maximum in the month of October is achieved, it is 396.6 m³ / s, the minimum is m³ / s registered in February with 27.3.

As the countless islands, sandbanks, reefs and cataracts can preclude the use as a waterway in the river, a railway line for the transport of ore from the Nimba area was established to the port of Buchanan in the 1960s.