| Térraba River | |
| Name Other: | Río Térraba |
| Pushpin Map: | Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of mouth |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Costa Rica |
| Mouth Location: | Pacific Ocean |
Térraba River (Spanish: Río Grande de Térraba), in the southern Brunca region of Costa Rica, is the largest river in that country.[1]
The indigenous Boruca language name is Diquís which means "great river".[2] Its basin is 5085sqkm and it is 160km (100miles) long, covering ten percent of the country. It is a tributary from the confluence of the Río General and Río Coto Brus.[3] Pineapple plantations occupy 10815ha in the basin, amounting to 21 percent of national production.[4] Mangrove cockles (Anadara tuberculosa and Anadara similis), known locally as piangua, are collected in the mangrove swamps and mud at the mouth of the Río Grande de Térraba.[5]
The Interamerican Highway partially follows the river course and crosses it with a bridge. Along the river lie the villages of Palmar Norte, Palmar Sur and Ciudad Cortés. The Térraba empties in the Pacific Ocean with six mouths: Mala, Brava, Chica, Zacate, Guarumal and Sierpe.[3] A nationally protected wetland, Humedal Nacional Térraba-Sierpe (Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands) is situated here in the mangroves along the coast.[6]
A proposed project to provide renewable energy to the region, El Diquís Hydroelectric Project, was cancelled. It would have covered 7000ha and required the relocation of 1,500 people.[7]