The 10 largest rivers in Mexico

Mexico is a huge country full of rivers, being one of the American countries with the largest number of important rivers. That is why when talking about these streams it is important to mention which are the longest, to see the importance of their long journey. Therefore, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about the largest rivers in Mexico.

Before talking about the largest rivers in Mexico, we must comment on the different slopes that exist, in order to more easily locate the rivers that we are going to talk about next. The three aspects that we can talk about when we refer to the rivers of Mexico are the following:

• Western or Pacific slope: To this slope belong all those rivers that deposit their waters in the Pacific Ocean, or in some river that ends there. It is the slope where the longest rivers in the entire country flow.
• Eastern slope or the Gulf of Mexico: The rivers of this slope are all those that flow into the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. It is usually made up of short rivers, although there are important exceptions.
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• South slope: It is formed by all the rivers that flow into the inside, that is to say, that they deposit their water in some interior basin.

Next we are going to talk about some of the largest rivers in Mexico, explaining data such as their length, their surface, or the main characteristics that make them unique.

Nazas River

This river gets its name from the Spaniards who conquered the area, since the native fishermen of the area used baskets called traps for fishing, and the Spaniards called the river of this shape. The river has about 600 kilometres long, and the surface of its basin has something more than 57,000 km2. It is born in the Sierra Madre Occidental and flows into the Mayran lagoon after passing through the states of Durango and Coahuila, being therefore a river on the southern slope.

Rio Grande de Santiago

Also called the Santiago River, it is one of the rivers on the western side of the Mexican country. Its source takes place in Lake Chapala and empties into the Pacific Ocean after passing through the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. Its basin is one of the most important in Mexico, with more than 76,000 km2 , on the other hand its length is about 562 kilometers.

Conchos River

This river is one of the largest tributaries of the Rio Grande, and therefore it can be considered from the eastern slope. Its source takes place in the Sierra Madre Occidental and flows into the Rio Grande after passing through the state of Chihuahua, being the main river in this area. As for its size, in length it exceeds 900 km, and the surface of its basin exceeds 62,000 km2.

Grijalva River

This river located in the southeast of Mexico deposits its waters in the Gulf of Mexico, because it belongs to the eastern slope. Its source takes place in the Écija valley and empties into the Gulf of Mexico after passing through the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. Its length is about 600 km, while the surface of its basin exceeds 51,000 km2. It is the second largest river in the entire state, and one of the most energy-generating for Mexicans.

Lerma River

The Lerma River is the largest of the rivers of the interior slope, and therefore one of the great rivers of all Mexico. The Lerma has its source in the Almoloya del Río and flows into Lake Chapala, this being a natural reservoir in Jalisco. Its length is about 700 kilometers, and the surface of its basin exceeds 47,000 km2.

To conclude this lesson on largest rivers in Mexico We must talk about other of the 5 main great rivers of the Mexican state.

Balsas River

The Balsas river is located in the south of Mexico and is one of the longest in the entire state, being the union of the Atoyac, Mixteco and Tlapaneco rivers. It has its mouth in the Pacific Ocean after passing through the states of Guerrero and Michoacán, so it belongs to the western slope. Its length is about 770 kilometers, while the surface of its basin exceeds 112000 km2.

Culiacan River

The Culiacán is one of the most polluted rivers in all of Mexico, due to the waste generated by the industry. It is a river belonging to the western slope, since its waters flow into the Pacific Ocean. The length of the Culiacán is about 875 kilometers, while the surface of its basin covers 17,200 km2.

Usumacinta River

The Usumacinta is the largest river in all of Mexico and Central America. The river is born in the Sierra Madre, and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, so it belongs to the eastern slope. Its length is 1100 kilometers, and the surface of its basin exceeds 100,000 km2.

Colorado River

The Colorado is one of the rivers that Mexico shares with another country, this being the case of the United States. This river belonging to the western slope originates in the Rocky Mountains of the United States, and empties into the Gulf of California in Mexico. The Colorado has a length of 2333 kilometers, counting its extension in both Mexico and the United States, and its basin has an area of 629,100 km2.

Bravo River

Another of the rivers that Mexico and the United States share, this one belonging to the eastern slope. The Bravo is born in the San Juan Mountains in the American state of Colorado, and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Its length is 3034 kilometers, and the surface of its basin is 607,000 km2.