There are some 1,8000 rivers in Spain. There are said to be 172,888 km of natural watercourses, though many of these are dry for much of the year. The name Guadalquivir comes from the Arabic, Wadi al-Kabir meaning great river. The Guadilquivar plain from Seville to the coast is almost totally flat. Seville is just 9m above sea level yet is 100km from the coast. The standard modern-day Spanish word for stream, "arroyo" comes from the Latin "arrugius" meaning gold mine or underground passage "arrugia" meaning a galleried mine.
These are the longest rivers in Spain.
Longest rivers in Spain
|
River |
Source |
Outlet |
Length in km |
|
Tajo |
Albarracín |
Lisboa |
1,007 |
|
Ebro |
Pico de los Tres Mares |
Amposta |
910 |
|
Duero |
Picos de Urbión |
Oporto |
895 |
|
Guadiana |
Lagunas de Ruidera |
Ayamonte |
657 |
|
Guadalquivir* |
Sierra de Cazorla |
Sanlúcar de Barrameda |
578 |
|
Júcar |
Sierra de Tragacete |
Cullera |
498 |
|
Genil (flows into Guadalquivir) |
Pico Veleta |
Palma del Río |
337 |
|
Segura |
Sierra Segura |
Guardamar |
325 |
|
Miño |
Laguna Fuente Miña |
La Guardia |
310 |
|
Turia |
Muela de San Juan |
Valencia |
280 |
Principal Spanish rivers by sea outlet
|
Atlantic (From Punta de Estaca de Bares to Punta de Tarifa) |
Cantabria (From French border to Punta de Estaca de Bares)
|
Mediterranean (From Punta de Tarifa to the French border) |
|
Miño 310 |
Bidasoa 67 |
Segura 325 |
|
Duero 895 |
Nervión (Nerbioi) 69 |
Júcar 498 |
|
Tajo 1,007 |
Nalón 129 |
Turia or Guadalaviar 280 |
|
Guadiana 778 |
Navia 159 |
Ebro 910 |
|
Guadalquivir 657 |
Eo 79 |
Ter 209 |
|
|
Bidasoa 67 |
|
Watersheds (river basins) of Spain
|
Watersheds |
|
|
|
Watershed |
River |
|
Watershed |
River |
|
|
Norte |
Miño |
|
Jucar |
Jucar, Turia |
|
|
Duero |
Duero |
|
Guadalquivir |
Guadalquivir |
|
|
Ebro |
Ebro |
|
Segura |
Segura |
|
|
Pirineo oriental |
Llobregat |
|
Sur |
Almanzora |
|
|
Tajo |
Tajo |
|
Baleares |
- |
|
|
Guadiana |
Guadiana |
|
Canarias |
- |
|
Source: Atlas de España, El País/Aguilar, 1993.
"Water resources in Spain fully depend on the different climates present in each area. Some areas have an Atlantic climate with high rainfall, with a fairly regular distribution throughout the year, and which occasionally exceeds 500-600 mm or sometimes reaching even 1,500 mm. These areas form what is known as humid Spain making up about 10 per cent of the peninsula. Almost all of the rest of the Peninsula have an extremely different climate with an annual rainfall below 500-600 mm, distributed irregularly throughout the year, and forming what is known as arid Spain. There are also areas with a mountain climate with plentiful rainfall, a large amount of which will eventually flow through the rivers of arid Spain acting as a major source of water supply for dry areas" (From FAO-CSIC) See also Climate of Spain |
Watershed areas and total watercourses
Northern
Main rivers |
Source |
Outlet |
Km |
Bidasoa |
Various streams |
Estuary ( Ría ) between Hondarribia and Hendaya |
67 |
Nervión |
Peña de Orduña |
Portugalete |
69 |
Sella |
Valle de Sajambre |
Ría de Ribadesella |
56 |
Nalón |
Puerto de Tarna |
Ría de Pravia |
129 |
Navia |
Sierra del Rañadorio |
Ría de Navia |
159 |
Eo |
Montes del Cádabo |
Between Ribadeo and Castropol |
79 |
Eastern: Catalan
Fluviá |
Grau de Olot |
Golf de Roses |
98 |
Ter |
Ull de Ter |
Torroella de Montgrí |
209 |
Tordera |
Western flanks of Montseny |
Malgrat de Mar |
50 |
Llobregat |
Serra de Cadí , entre Coll de Jou y el de Toses |
Prat de Llobregat, El |
157 |
Francolí |
North of l'Espluga de Francolí |
Tarragona |
58 |
Eastern: Ebro Basin :
Ebro |
Pico de los Tres Mares |
Amposta |
910 |
Ebro tributaries |
|
|
|
Aragón |
Canfranc |
Villafranca |
197 |
Gállego |
Próximo al Puerto de Portalet |
Zaragoza |
149 |
Segre |
Monts Louis ( France ) |
Mequinenza |
261 |
Alhama |
Sierra del Madero |
Alfaro |
79 |
Jalón |
Sierra Ministra |
Between Cabañas de Ebro and Torres de Berrellén |
224 |
|
|
|
|
Huerva |
Fonfría (Teruel) |
Zaragoza |
135 |
Martín |
Portalrubio (Teruel) |
Escatrón |
93 |
Guadalope |
Sierra de Gúdar |
Close to Caspe |
182 |
Eastern: Levantina
Mijares |
Alto de Torrijas |
Torre de Almanzora |
156 |
Guadalaviar or Turia |
Muela de San Juan |
El Grao , Valencia |
280 |
Júcar |
Ojuelos de Valdeminguete , Sierra de Tragacete |
Cullera |
498 |
Segura |
Sierra de Segura |
Guardamar del Segura |
325 |
Almanzora |
Llanos de Huelgo , Sierra de Baza |
Cerros Colorados |
105 |
Western: Western Galicia
Tambre |
Montes de Bocelo |
Ponte Nafonso |
134 |
Ulla |
Fuente de Ulla |
Ría de Aurosa |
126 |
Miño |
Laguna de Fuente Miña |
A Guarda ( España )- Caminha ( Portugal ) |
310 |
Tributaries of the Miño |
|
|
|
Sil |
Cueto Albo |
Los Peares |
225 |
Western: Duero basin
Duero |
Picos de Urbión |
Porto ( Portugal ) |
895 |
Tributaries of the Duero |
|
|
|
Adaja |
Between la Serrota and S. de Avila |
Valdestillas |
163 |
Tormes |
Fuente Tormella |
Villarino de los Aires |
247 |
Pisuerga |
Sierra Albas , Puntas Luengas and Peña Labra |
Cerca de Simancas |
275 |
Esla |
Peña Prieta |
Villalcampo |
275 |
Western: Tajo basin
Tajo |
Sierra de Albarracín |
Lisboa ( Portugal ) |
1,007 |
Tributaries of the Tajo |
|
|
|
Jarama |
East of Somosierra |
Aranjuez |
194 |
Alberche |
Fuente del Alberche-Cañada Alta |
Talavera de la Reina |
182 |
Tiétar |
Puerto de la Venta del Cojo |
Villareal de San Carlos |
170 |
Alagón |
Frades de la Sierra |
Alcántara |
201 |
Western : Guadiana basin
Guadiana |
Lagunas de Huidera |
Cabeza Alta, on frontier with Portugal |
818 |
Tributaries of the Guadiana |
|
|
|
Jabalón |
Montiel |
Corral de Calatrava |
153 |
Matachel |
El Retamar |
Don Alvaro |
124 |
Ardilla |
Sierra de Tudia |
Moura ( Portugal ) |
116 |
Cigüela |
Altos de Cabrejas |
Daimiel |
194 |
Zújar |
Granja de Torrehermosa |
Villanueva de la Serena |
210 |
Záncara |
Abia de la Obispalía |
Alcázar de San Juan |
168 |
Western : various
Odiel |
Sierra de Aracena |
Canal de Palos de la Frontera |
121 |
Tinto |
Minas de Riotinto |
Canal de Palos de la Frontera |
93 |
Guadalete |
Sierra del Pinar and Sierra del Endrinal |
Puerto de Santa María |
79 |
Western : Guadalquivir basin
Guadalquivir |
Sierras del Pozo and Cazorla |
Sanlúcar de Barrameda |
657 |
Tributaries of the Guadalquivir |
Guadiana Menor |
|
|
Guadajoz |
Uníón de Castril and Uníón del Baza |
Torreperojil |
94 |
Genil |
Sierras de Priego and Lucena |
South of Córdoba |
114 |
Guadaira |
Pico Veleta -Sierra Nevada |
Near Alcalá de Guadaira |
337 |
Guadalimar |
Sierra de Algodonales Cerro Almenara |
Baeza |
89 |
Southern
Andarax or Almería |
Flanks of Chulo |
Near Almería |
62 |
Adra or Grande |
Close to Puerto de la Ragua |
East of Adra |
47 |
Guadalfeo |
Confluence of Lanjarón , Boqueira and Trevélez , from Picos Veleta , Mulhacén and Panderón |
Salobreña |
72 |
Guadalhorce |
Puerto de las Alazores |
Near Punta del Pino |
154 |
Guadiaro |
Sierra de Tolox |
San Enrique de Guadioso |
79 |
Source: INE from: Reseña Geográfica del Atlas Nacional de España .
Pyrenees rivers
Pyrenees river
rivers in Pyrenees
rivers of Pyrenees
iberian rivers
Rivers of Iberia
Rivers in Iberia
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River Adaja
River Adra
River Alagón
River Alberche
River Alcántara
River Alfaro
River Alhama
River Almanzora
River Aragón
River Aranjuez
River Ardilla
River Baeza
River Cigüela
River Duero
River Esla
River Gállego
River Genil
River Guadaira
River Guadajoz
River Turia
River Guadalete
River Guadalfeo
River Guadalhorce
River Guadalimar
River Guadalope
River Guadalquivir
River Guadiana
River Guadiana Menor
River Guadiaro
River Huerva
River Jabalón
River Jalón
River Jarama
River Júcar
River Matachel
River Mijares
River Miño
River Montiel
River Odiel
River Pisuerga
River Eo
River Fluviá
River Francolí
River Nalón
River Navia
River Nervión
River Sella
River Ter
River Tordera
River Salobreña
River Segre
River Segura
River Sil
River Tajo
River Tambre
River Tiétar
River Tinto
River Tormes
River Ulla
River Záncara
River Zújar |
