River · Suriname
Courantyne River
Courantyne River is the longest river of Suriname, a small country in South America. It flows northwards through thick rainforest and reaches the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Nieuw Nickerie.
Picture credit: -JvL- (CC BY 2.0) · -JvL- (CC BY 2.0) · NullAspect (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Courantyne River?
The river starts here: Acarai Mountains in the far south of Suriname.
It ends in the Atlantic Ocean near Nieuw Nickerie.
Countries on the river: Suriname.
The story behind it
This wide brown river forms the border between Suriname and its neighbour Guyana, and the two countries do not agree about exactly where that border runs. Because of the argument, maps sometimes show different headwaters and different lengths for the river. It begins in the Acarai Mountains in the far south, where hardly any roads exist and the rainforest is almost untouched. Along the banks live indigenous communities who travel by dugout canoe, and the water is home to caimans, giant otters, stingrays and huge catfish. Waterfalls and rapids break the middle course, so boats cannot simply sail upstream. Near the mouth the land is flat and wet, perfect for the rice fields around Nieuw Nickerie, and a ferry carries cars and traders across to the other side.
Questions children ask
How long is the Courantyne River?
Which countries does the Courantyne River touch?
It is counted as the longest river of Suriname and runs along the boundary with Guyana. Both states claim parts of the land beside it.
Where does the Courantyne River flow into the sea?
It opens into the Atlantic Ocean beside the town of Nieuw Nickerie. The water there is brown with mud and mixes slowly with the salty sea.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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