Lempa River

The Lempa River (Spanish: Ro Lempa) is a Central American river that runs about 422 kilometers (262 miles). Its headwaters are near the town of Olopa, in southern Guatemala, between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón.

Lempa River is known as Ro Olopa in Guatemala and runs south for 30.4 kilometers (18.9 miles) before entering Honduras and taking the name Lempa river at 14.547700°N 89.264002°W. In Honduras, it runs for 31.4 kilometers (19.5 miles) through the Ocotepeque Department until crossing the border into El Salvador near Citalá (14.371857°N 89.212439°W) in the Chalatenango Department.

In El Salvador, the river continues for another 360 kilometers (220 miles), flowing generally southward until it reaches the Pacific Ocean in the department of San Vicente. The Lempa river basin covers 49% of El Salvador's land, and 77.5 percent of the Salvadoran population resides in cities, towns, and villages within its boundaries, including the capital city of San Salvador.

The river's watershed spans 18,246 square kilometers (7,045 square miles), with El Salvador accounting for 10,255 square kilometers (3,959 square miles), Honduras for 5,696 square kilometers (2,199 square miles), and Guatemala for 2,295 square kilometers (886 square miles). This river is considered one of the longest rivers in El Salvador.

Length: 80 km