Yaqui River

Yaqui River
Yaqui River - Sonora, Mexico
Location of mouth
Native name	Río Yaqui (Spanish)
Location
Country	Mexico
State	Sonora
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Sierra Madre Occidental
• coordinates	29°31′48″N 109°13′42″W / 29.529887°N 109.228377°W / 29.529887; -109.228377
Mouth
• location	Gulf of California
• coordinates	27°40′02″N 110°36′43″W / 27.6673°N 110.6120°W / 27.6673; -110.6120
Length	320 km (200 mi)

The Yaqui River (Río Yaqui in Spanish) (Hiak Vatwe in the Yaqui or Yoreme language) is a river in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. It was formerly known as the Rio del Norte.^[1] Being the largest river system in the state of Sonora, the Yaqui river is used for irrigation, especially in the Valle del Yaqui.

The Rio Yaqui originates in the Sierra Madre Occidental at the junction of the Rio Bavispe and the Rio Aros at Lat. 29.529887 Long. −109.228377. It is approximately 320 km (200 mi) in length, and flows south and southwest into the Gulf of California near the city of Obregon.

Its course is interrupted by several reservoirs like Plutarco Elías Calles (El Novillo), Lázaro Cárdenas (Angostura), or Álvaro Obregón (El Oviáchic, Lake Ouiachic), which provides the water resource for the intensively irrigated region of Ciudad Obregón.