Duero
Duero is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 41.52°, -5.49°
About Duero
The Douro (UK: , US: , Portuguese: [ˈdo(w)ɾu], Mirandese: [ˈdowɾʊ]; Spanish: Duero [ˈdweɾo]; Latin: Durius) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises at the Pico de Urbión, the highest summit of the Picos de Urbión, first flows through Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern part of the Meseta Central in Castile and León into northern Portugal. Its largest tributary (carrying more water than the Douro at their confluence) is the right-bank Esla. The Douro flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Porto, the second largest city of Portugal.
The scenic Douro railway line runs close to the river. Adjacent areas produce port (a mildly fortified wine) and other agricultural produce. A small tributary of the river has the Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site which is considered important to the archaeological pre-historic patrimony, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within Spain, it flows through the middle of the autonomous community of Castile and León, with the basin spanning through the northern half of the Meseta Central.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Douro (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Duero in Depth
Geography
It is the third-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebro. Its total length is 897 km (557 mi), of which only stretches of the Portuguese section, being below a fall/rapids line, are naturally navigable, by modest rivercraft. The Douro River basin encompasses an area of approximately 97,290 km2 (37,560 sq mi).
In its Spanish section, the Douro crosses the great Castilian meseta and meanders through five provinces of the autonomous community of Castile and León: Soria, Burgos, Valladolid, Zamora, and Salamanca, passing through the towns of Soria, Almazán, Aranda de Duero, Tordesillas, and Zamora.
The most important tributaries in this region are the Pisuerga, passing through Valladolid, and the Esla, which passes through Zamora.
History
Part of the drainage basin might have been severely depopulated in the 8th century. According to Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz this was a deliberate act by Alfonso I of Asturias for the defence of his Kingdom, which led the area to be named Repoblación.
The Douro vinhateiro ("vine-land") of the Douro Valley in Portugal, long devoted to vineyards, has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The wine was taken downriver in flat-bottom boats called rabelos, to be stored in barrels in cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river from Porto. Nowadays port wine is transported there in tanker trucks.
In the 1960s and 1970s, dams with locks were built along the river, allowing river traffic into the upper regions in Spain and along the border.
Economy
These reaches of the Douro have a mesoclimate allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes, which are important for making port. The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of port, with its quintas (or farms/estates) that extend along the steep slopes of the river valleys. In the 21st century, many of these are owned by multinational, reputed wine companies.
Recently, a prosperous tourist industry has developed based on river excursions from Porto to points along the Upper Douro valley.
The Douro railway line (Linha do Douro) was completed in 1887; it connects Porto, Rio Tinto, Ermesinde, Valongo, Paredes, Penafiel, Livração, Marco de Canaveses, Régua, Tua and Pocinho.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Douro (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Duero: Key Facts
| Length | 897 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 675 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 97,290 km² |
| Source | Picos de Urbión |
| Mouth | Atlantic Ocean |
| Drainage system | Douro basin |
| Tributaries | Águeda River, Távora River, Tormes, Adaja river, Corgo River, Esla, Pisuerga River, Tâmega River |
Facts from Wikidata Q14299 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Duero: Quick Answers
- Where is Duero?
- Duero is located in Spain and Portugal, at 41.5225° N, 5.4880° W.
- Are there dams on the Duero?
- No dam on the Duero is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.