Orography of Tabasco

The state surface is part of the provinces: Southern Gulf Coastal Plain and Sierras
of Chiapas and Guatemala.

The territory of the state is an extensive plain that is easily flooded due to swampy
areas and bodies of water: El Viento, Sábana Nueva and Cantemual, among
others. In the southern area, some portions of mountain ranges that come from
neighboring states are formed by sedimentary rocks (they are formed on beaches,
rivers and where sand and mud accumulate), the most prominent being the Sierra
Tapijulapa with 900 meters. above sea level (masl) and the lowest in the Sierra
Puana 560 meters above sea level. (INEGI, 2017)

In the mountain areas (terrain crossed by mountains and mountain ranges), there
are small valleys, with a northwest-southeast direction and elongated like those
located on the borders with the Republic of Guatemala.
The plains cover 72.45% of the state's surface, the hills 21.22%, the mountains
3.89% and the valleys 2.44%.

Image 7. Orography of Tabasco.

Source: Digital Elevation Model version 2.0. National Institute of Statistics and
Geography, 2012.
Hydrography of Tabasco
The river system is made up of the flows of the Usumacinta River, the largest in the
Republic, and the Grijalva River, the second largest in terms of flow, with
numerous tributaries that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Only the Tonalá River and
the Tancochapa or Pedregal River remain outside this system, which serves as the
limit between Tabasco and Veracruz, west of Huimanguillo; the small rivers of
Chontalpa that are fed by excess rainwater accumulated in the popales (swamps)
and the González River, an arm detached from the Mezcalapa at the end of the
19th century, which flows into the sea through the Chiltepec bar. (Encyclopedia of
Municipalities and Delegations of Mexico, s/a).

The availability of water is based on the lower basins of the Usumacinta and
Grijalva rivers; these basins accumulate water from countless streams and are
discharged into the sea together.

The average annual volume is 125 billion cubic meters, which represents 35% of
the country's currents, forming a wide channel that floods large areas and creates
numerous shallow lagoons in the low areas. In the months of September and
November, the maximum water levels are reached, causing flooding. (INEGI,
2015)
Image 7. Orography of Tabasco.
Source: National Set of Geographic Data Set of the Hydrological Chart of Surface
Waters. National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 2017.