IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a river which is important in your country
You should say:
- where the river is
- what the river looks like
- what the river is used for
and say why the river is important for your country.
Describe a river which is important in your country
Sample Answer
I remember traveling along the main river of Colombia, which left unforgettable images in my mind that reflect daily life on the river, the problems, and the wonders that it holds.
The valley of Alto Magdalena covers the strait of the river and the municipalities of San Agustín and Isnos. It was a sacred place where a mythical culture said the last goodbye to its inhabitants when they died.
2,300 years ago, this culture carved in stone imposing anthropomorphic statues that guard the tombs and that now make part of the Archaeological Park of San Agustín and Isnos.
Experts say that the greatness of the culture that inhabited the region was possible thanks to the waters of the Magdalena.
It's clear, light-green water contrasts with the strength it takes to be reduced by gigantic stones arranged by nature as a channel barely four meters wide. The cold breeze of the upper Magdalena Valley, between the Central and Eastern Cordilleras, feeds legends of spirits that dominate the knowledge of nature.
The River of the Tombs, as its former inhabitants called it, was baptized by the Spaniards as the Grande de la Magdalena River.
In the upper Magdalena, in the department of Huila, there are two of the largest dams in Colombia: Betania and El Quimbo. The dams with a network of hydroelectric power plants throughout the national territory were built to turn Colombia into a self-sufficient country for electric power. This objective was achieved with success.
However, this self-sufficiency became a reality at the cost of great social, cultural, and environmental changes. Constructing the Quimbo and Betania dams changed the landscape, the economic vocation of the region, and the relationship of its inhabitants with this famous river.
Many people remember with nostalgia what their lives and the river were like before the two dams. Others, perhaps more pragmatic, have adapted to the new circumstances.
The Magdalena River is as extensive as it is diverse. In its 1,528 kilometers, millions of birds see in its ecosystem the opportunity to look for food and shelter, either in the perfect temperatures of the páramo de las Papas, where it is born; in the dry forests of hot temperatures of its middle basin; or in its humid swamps near its mouth in the Caribbean.
In its upper basin, especially in the Colombian Massif, 150 species of birds live, such as ducks, condors, eagles, and Andean guans. On the other hand, its middle section is governed by a migratory and endemic avifauna, represented by blue, royal, and white herons, cardinals, parakeets, and turtledoves.
Obviously, the river is vital in terms of the electricity production associated with it, as well as its historical and cultural heritage, and its biodiversity.
How would you describe a river in your country?