Guadiana
Río Guadiana | ||
The Río Guadiana at the level of the Roman Bridge in Mérida |
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Data | ||
location | Spain , Portugal | |
River system | Guadiana | |
source |
Ojos del Guadiana 39 ° 8 ′ 18 ″ N , 3 ° 31 ′ 15 ″ W. |
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Source height | 608 m | |
muzzle | in the Atlantic Coordinates: 37 ° 10 ′ 25 ″ N , 7 ° 24 ′ 7 ″ W 37 ° 10 ′ 25 ″ N , 7 ° 24 ′ 7 ″ W |
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Mouth height | 0 m | |
Height difference | 608 m | |
Bottom slope | 0.82 ‰ | |
length | 742 km | |
Catchment area | 67,733 km² | |
Left tributaries | Ardila , Azuer , Chanza , Guadámez , Jabalón , Matachel , Odeleite , Zújar , | |
Right tributaries | Bullaque , Cigüela , Záncara | |
Reservoirs flowed through | Alqueva , Pedrógão | |
Big cities | Badajoz | |
Medium-sized cities | Merida | |
Small towns | Orellana la Vieja , Medellin | |
Navigable | 72 km below Mértola |
The Río Guadiana is a 745 km long river on the Iberian Peninsula that flows through Spain and Portugal and forms the border between the two countries on two river sections. In Roman times the river was called Anas , from which the Arabs who later settled here came fromوادي يانة / Wādī Yāna made.
course
The Río Guadiana rises in the Ojos del Guadiana northeast of Ciudad Real in the Spanish province of the same name , Castile-La Mancha region . It initially flows in a predominantly westerly direction, crosses Extremadura and then turns south. It was used to define the border between Spain and Portugal on two sections, in the south it is its estuary. In between it flows through the southeast of the Portuguese region of Alentejo . The Río Guadiana flows into the Gulf of Cádiz , which belongs to the Atlantic Ocean , at Ayamonte ( Andalusia , Spain) or Vila Real de Santo António ( Algarve , Portugal) . The largest city on the river is Badajoz in Spain.
Cities and places on the river
- Orellana la Vieja
- Medellin
- Merida
- Badajoz
- Mertola , Portugal
- Ayamonte , Spain
- Vila Real de Santo António , Portugal
Tributaries
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Dams and reservoirs
Looking downstream, the Guadiana is dammed by the following dams and hydropower plants:
dam | operator | Max. Power (MW) |
Surface (km²) |
Volume (million m³) |
---|---|---|---|---|
El Vicario | 9.30 | 32 | ||
Cíjara | 65.65 | 1,505 | ||
García de Sola | 35.50 | 554 | ||
Orellana | 50.84 | 808 | ||
Alqueva | EDP | 520 | 250.00 | 4,150 |
Pedrógão | EDP | 10 | 11.04 | 106 |
Guadiana Alto
The Guadiana Alto or Guadiana Viejo is often considered to be the upper reaches of the Guadiana. It arises from the confluence of several source rivers at the Lagunas de Ruidera on the border of the provinces of Albacete and Ciudad Real and seeps into the ground shortly afterwards at Argamasilla de Alba . Its water feeds the actual sources of the Guadiana, the Ojos del Guadiana, located around 40 km to the west.
history
After the reconquest ( reconquista ) of Merida by Alfonso IX. In 1230 the Río Guadiana formed the border between Christian and Islamic spheres of influence for several years.
Attractions
Particularly noteworthy is the old town of Mérida , located on the north bank of the Río Guadiana and founded by the Romans ; it was on the list of the 1993 UNESCO - World Heritage added. The small town of Medellín , situated on the south bank of the river and dominated by a castle ( castillo ), is the birthplace of Hernán Cortés and Gonzalo de Sandoval , the conquerors of the Aztec Empire .
Legend of the three main streams
The Guadiana is the southernmost of the three main rivers (next to the Tajo and Duero ) that flow from Spain to Portugal. Legend has it that these three were river spirits who wanted to compete in a race to the Atlantic. Before that, they went to sleep together in what is now Spain. The next day, the Guadiana is said to be the first ghost to wake up, allowing it to choose the most beautiful and smoothest route. The Tajo was later, but the Duero was the last to wake up - it then had to make its way through the stony north of the peninsula, which explains its rough character.
See also
literature
- Pedro Barceló . In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 1, Metzler, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-476-01471-1 , Sp. 655-Anas.