List of longest rivers of Mexico
Among the longest rivers of Mexico are 26 streams of at least. In the case of rivers such as the Colorado, the length listed in the table below is solely that of the main stem. In the case of the Grijalva and Usumacinta, it is the combined lengths of two river systems that share a delta. In the case of the Nazas and Aguanaval, it is the combined lengths of separate rivers that flow into the same closed basin.
Three rivers in this list cross international boundaries or form them. The Colorado and the Rio Grande begin in the United States and flow into Mexico, while the Usumacinta begins in Guatemala and flows into Mexico.
The primary source for the length, watershed, and surface runoff data in the table below is the 10th edition of Statistics on Water in Mexico, published by the National Water Commission in Mexico ; exceptions are as noted. U.S. states and departments of Guatemala appear in italics in the "States" column.
| # | Name | Mouth | Length | Watershed area | Annual surface runoff | States | Image |
| 1 | Rio Grande | Gulf of Mexico | 3108 km 1,931 mi | 466939 km2 180,286 mi2 | 6090 x 106 m3 2.15 x 1011 ft3 | Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas | |
| 2 | Colorado River | Gulf of California | 2337 km 1,452 mi | 630783 km2 243,547 mi2 | 17898 x 106 m3 6.321 x 1011 ft3 | Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Sonora, Baja California | |
| 3 | Grijalva-Usumacinta Rivers | Bay of Campeche | 1911 km 1,187 mi | 128390 km2 49,570 mi2 | 115536 x 106 m3 4.0801 x 1012 ft3 | Petén, Chiapas, Tabasco | |
| 4 | Nazas-Aguanaval Rivers | Bolsón de Mapimí | 1081 km 672 mi | 89239 km2 34,455 mi2 | 1912 x 106 m3 6.75 x 1010 ft3 | Durango, Zacatecas, Coahuila | |
| 5 | Culiacán River | Pacific Ocean | 875 km 544 mi | 15731 km2 6,074 mi2 | 3161 x 106 m3 1.116 x 1011 ft3 | Sinaloa | |
| 6 | Balsas River | Pacific Ocean | 770 km 478 mi | 117406 km2 45,331 mi2 | 16587 x 106 m3 5.858 x 1011 ft3 | Puebla, Morelos, Michoacán, Guerrero | |
| 7 | Lerma River | Lake Chapala | 708 km 440 mi | 47116 km2 18,192 mi2 | 4742 x 106 m3 1.675 x 1011 ft3 | State of Mexico, Querétaro, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Jalisco | |
| 8 | Rio Grande de Santiago | Pacific Ocean | 562 km 349 mi | 76416 km2 29,504 mi2 | 7849 x 106 m3 2.772 x 1011 ft3 | Jalisco, Nayarit | |
| 9 | Fuerte River | Gulf of California | 540 km 336 mi | 33590 km2 12,970 mi2 | 5176 x 106 m3 1.828 x 1011 ft3 | Sinaloa | |
| 10 | Pánuco River | Gulf of Mexico | 510 km 317 mi | 84956 km2 32,802 mi2 | 20330 x 106 m3 7.18 x 1011 ft3 | Veracruz | |
| 11 | Rio Conchos | Rio Grande | 485 km 301 mi | 68386 km2 26,404 mi2 | 2714 x 106 m3 9.58 x 1010 ft3 | Chihuahua | |
| 12 | Sonora River | Gulf of California | 421 km 262 mi | 27740 km2 10,710 mi2 | 408 x 106 m3 1.44 x 1010 ft3 | Sonora | |
| 13 | Soto La Marina River | Gulf of Mexico | 416 km 258 km | 21183 km2 8,179 mi2 | 2086 x 106 m3 7.37 x 1010 ft3 | Tamaulipas | |
| 14 | Yaqui River | Gulf of California | 410 km 255 mi | 72540 km2 28,010 mi2 | 3163 x 106 m3 1.117 x 1011 ft3 | Sonora | |
| 15 | Sinaloa River | Gulf of California | 400 km 249 mi | 12260 km2 4,730 mi2 | 2126 x 106 m3 7.51 x 1010 ft3 | Sinaloa | |
| 16 | San Fernando River | Gulf of Mexico | 400 km 249 mi | 17744 km2 6,851 mi2 | 1545 x 106 m3 5.46 x 1010 ft3 | Tamaulipas | |
| 17 | Mayo River | Gulf of California | 386 km 240 mi | 15113 km2 5,835 mi2 | 1232 x 106 m3 4.35 x 1010 ft3 | Chihuahua, Sonora | |
| 18 | Tecolutla River | Gulf of Mexico | 375 km 233 mi | 7903 km2 3,051 mi2 | 6095 x 106 m3 2.152 x 1011 ft3 | Veracruz | |
| 19 | Jamapa River | Gulf of Mexico | 368 km 229 mi | 4061 km2 1,568 mi2 | 2563 x 106 m3 9.05 x 1010 ft3 | Veracruz | |
| 20 | Papaloapan River | Gulf of Mexico | 354 km 220 mi | 46517 km2 17,960 mi2 | 44662 x 106 m3 1.5772 x 1012 ft3 | Oaxaca, Veracruz | |
| 21 | Verde River | Pacific Ocean | 342 km 213 mi | 5937 km2 2,292 mi2 | 5937 x 106 m3 2.097 x 1011 ft3 | Oaxaca | |
| 22 | Concepción River | Gulf of California | 335 km 208 mi | 25808 km2 9,965 2 | 123 x 106 m3 4.3 x 109 ft3 | Sonora | |
| 23 | Coatzacoalcos River | Gulf of Mexico | 325 km 202 mi | 17369 km2 6,706 mi2 | 28093 x 106 m3 9.921 x 1011 ft3 | Oaxaca, Veracruz | |
| 24 | San Lorenzo River | Gulf of California | 315 km 196 mi | 8919 km2 3,444 mi2 | 1680 x 106 m3 5.9 x 1010 ft3 | Durango, Sinaloa | |
| 25 | Sonoyta River | Gulf of California | 311 km 193 mi | 7653 km2 2,955 mi2 | 16 x 106 m3 570 x 106 ft3 | Sonora | |
| 26 | San Pedro River | Pacific Ocean | 255 km 158 mi | 26480 km2 10,220 mi2 | 3417 x 106 m3 1.207 x 1011 ft3 | Durango, Nayarit |
Works cited
- Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed. Rivers of North America. Burlington, Massachusetts: Elsevier Academic Press..