Rio Grande de Mindanao

The Rio Grande de Mindanao, also known as the Mindanao River, is the second largest river system in the Philippines, located on the southern island of Mindanao. It has a drainage area of 23,169 km2 (8,946 sq mi),[2] draining the majority of the central and eastern portion of the island, with a total length of approximately 373 km (232 mi).[1][3] It is an important transportation artery on the island, used mainly in transporting agricultural products and, formerly, timber.

Rio Grande de Mindanao
Drainage map of Mindanao River
Mindanao River mouth
Rio Grande de Mindanao (Philippines)
Native nameMindanao River
Location
CountryPhilippines
Region
Province
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceKitanglad Mountain Range
 • locationBrgy. Kalabugao, Impasugong, Bukidnon
 • coordinates8°27′15″N 125°09′46″E
MouthIllana Bay
 • location
Cotabato City
 • coordinates
7°15′20″N 124°12′0″E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length373 km (232 mi)[1]
Basin size23,169 km2 (8,946 sq mi)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • left
 • right

Its headwaters are in the mountains of Impasugong, Bukidnon, south of Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, where it is called the Pulangi River. Joining the Kabacan River, it becomes the Mindanao River. Flowing out of the mountains, it forms the center of a broad, fertile plain in the south-central portion of the island. Before its mouth in the Illana Bay, it splits into two parallel sections, the Cotabato and Tamontaka, separated by a 180 m (590 ft) hill.

Population centers along the river include Cotabato City, Datu Piang, and Midsayap.

Course
1917 map of the delta of the Mindanao River

The Rio Grande de Mindanao has its source in the Central Mindanao Highlands near the northern coast of the island, specifically on the northeastern part of the province of Bukidnon, where it is known as the Pulangi River. It then flows southward across the Bukidnon Plateau, fed up by its tributaries along the way and then emerges onto the Cotabato plains, depositing fertile mountain silt as it widens and arcs westward through the Cotabato River Basin. It finally empties into Illana Bay at its mouth at Cotabato City.

As the Mindanao River meets Illana Bay, it branches out into two distributaries, the Cotabato in the north and the Tamontaka in the south at Cotabato City.

Tributaries

Water hyacinths

The river has recently been clogged with water hyacinths, causing it to overflow after days of heavy rain. Floodwaters submerged at least 37 villages in Cotabato City alone and displaced some 6,000 families.

President Benigno Aquino III ordered public works and military personnel to clear the river of up to 20 hectares (0.20 km2) of water lily growth.[4]

References
  1. Kenneth Kimutai too (24 July 2018). "Longest Rivers In The Philippines". worldatlas.com. WorldAtlas. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  2. Vicente B. Tuddao Jr. (September 21, 2011). "Water Quality Management in the Context of Basin Management: Water Quality, River Basin Management and Governance Dynamics in the Philippines" (PDF). www.wepa-db.net. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  3. Principal River Basins of the Philippines, published by the National Water Resources Board, October 1976 (p. 12)
  4. "Aquino leads 'war vs water hyacinths'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 23, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
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