Douro
Douro (Portuguese), Duero (Spanish)
River (Río/Rio)
The river between Porto (right) and Vila Nova de Gaia (left), facing west
Countries	Portugal,  Spain
Source	Picos de Urbión
- location	Sistema Ibérico, Duruelo de la Sierra, Soria, Castile and León, Spain
- elevation	2,157 m (7,077 ft)
- coordinates	42°0′37.92″N 2°52′49.00″W / 42.0105333°N 2.88028°W / 42.0105333; -2.88028
Mouth	Foz do Douro
- location	Atlantic Ocean, Porto, Greater Porto, Norte, Portugal
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	41°8′35.74″N 8°40′10.07″W / 41.1432611°N 8.6694639°W / 41.1432611; -8.6694639
Length	897 km (557 mi)
Discharge	for Porto
- average	714 m3/s (25,215 cu ft/s)
- max	17,000 m3/s (600,349 cu ft/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Pocinho	442 m3/s (15,609 cu ft/s)
Wikimedia Commons: Douro River

The Douro (Portuguese: Douro [ˈdowɾu, ˈdoɾu]; Spanish: Duero [ˈdweɾo]; Latin: Durius) is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto.

History[link]

A 1908 image of the boats along the Douro River

The name, Latinized Durius, may have come from the Celtic tribes that inhabited the area before Roman times: the Celtic root is *dubro- and in modern Welsh dwr is "water" with cognate dobhar in Irish.

The Douro vinhateiro, an area of the Douro Valley in Portugal, has been classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Traditionally, the wine was taken down river in flat-bottom boats called rabelos to be stored in barrels in cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river from Porto. In the 1950s and 1960s, dams were built along the river ending this river traffic on Spanish and border sections. Now Port wine is transported in tanker trucks.

Geography[link]

A SPOT Satellite image of the Douro River

Profile of the Douro River, from its source in the mountains of the Sistema Ibérico to Foz do Douro

It is the third longest river in the Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebro; its total length is 897 kilometres (557 mi), of which only sections of the Portuguese extension are navigable, by light rivercraft.

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.

In this region, there are few tributaries of the Douro. The most important are the Pisuerga, passing through Valladolid, and the Esla, which passes through Zamora. This region is generally semi-arid plains, with wheat and in some places, especially near Aranda de Duero, with vineyards, in the Ribera del Duero wine region. Sheep rearing is also still important.

Then, for 112 kilometres (70 mi), the river forms part of the national border line between Spain and Portugal, in a region of narrow canyons, making it a historical barrier for invasions and a cultura/linguistic divid. In these isolated areas, in which the Aldeadávila Dam impounds the river, there area protected areas: the International Douro Natural Park (on the Portuguese side) and the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (on the Zamoran margin).

The Douro fully enters Portuguese territory just after the confluence with the Águeda River; once the Douro enters Portugal, major population centres are less frequent. Except for Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia at the river mouth, the only population centres of any note are Foz do Tua, Pinhão and Peso da Régua. Tributaries here are small, merging into the Douro along the canyons; the most important are Côa, Tua, Sabor, Corgo, Tavora, Paiva, Tâmega, and Sousa. None of these small, fast flowing rivers are navigable.

Human geography[link]

Major Spanish riverside towns include Soria, Almazán, Aranda de Duero, Tordesillas, Zamora and major Portuguese towns includeMiranda do Douro, Foz Côa, Peso da Régua, Lamego, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Porto. The most populous cities along the Douro River are Valladolid, Zamora in Spain and Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. The latter two are located at the mouth of the Douro.

The Douro flows through the districts of Bragança, Guarda, Viseu, Vila Real, Aveiro and Porto. Porto is the main hub city in northern Portugal and its historic centre is declared as a UNESCO monumental place.

Economy[link]

These reaches of the Douro have a microclimate^[specify] allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes that are important for making the famous Port wine. The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of Port wine, with its quintas (or farms/estates) that extend the almost vertical slopes along the river valleys. Many of these quintas are owned by multinational wine companies.

Recently, a prosperous tourist industry has developed based on river excursions from Porto to points along the Upper Douro valley.

There are five dams on the Portuguese Douro alone functioning to make the flow of water uniform, generate hydroelectric power, and allow navigation. Ships with maximum length 83 metres (272 ft) and width 11.4 metres (37 ft) can pass through five locks. The highest one on Carrapatelo dam has a maximum lift 35 metres (115 ft). Level of Pocinho lake reaches 125 m a.s.l.

The Douro railway line (in Portuguese: Linha do Douro) was completed in 1887; it connects Porto, Rio Tinto, Ermesinde, Valongo, Paredes, Penafiel, Livração, Marco de Canaveses, Régua, Tua and Pocinho. Pocinho is near the city of Foz Côa, which is close to Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site, (an Archaeological pre-historic patrimony) another UNESCO Heritage Sight.

Gallery[link]

• 

  The Douro in Zamora (Spain)

• 

  The Pisuerga River (tributary to the Duero) in Valladolid

• 

  The Upper Douro valley where Port wine grapes grow

• 

  The typical rabelo boat and Porto historical district in background

• 

  The river mouth from Porto's Crystal Palace Gardens, facing west

• 

  Port wine signs by the Douro River

• 

  Panoramic view of Oporto

• 

  The river between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia

• 

  The river near Régua, Portugal

• 

  International Douro near Miranda

• 

  "Arribes del Duero" in Salamanca.

See also[link]

• List of rivers of Portugal
• List of rivers of Spain

External links[link]

• DouroValley.eu - Tourism Geoportal of the Douro Region
• Turismo do Douro - Official Tourism Portal of the Douro Region (in Portuguese only)
• IPTM - Instituto Portuário e dos Transportes Marítimos, Delegação do Norte e Douro
• Rio Douro Sound Maplez:Дуэро

Statue of Gerardo Diego Cendoya, in Santander

Gerardo Diego Cendoya (Santander, October 3, 1896–Madrid, July 8, 1987) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27.

Gerardo Diego taught language and literature at institutes of learning in Soria, Gijón, Santander and Madrid. He also acted as literary and music critic for several newspapers.

Biography[link]

In 1925, he was awarded the National Prize for Literature and in 1947 he was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy. His lifetime accomplishment was recognised with the Cervantes Prize in 1979.

He died in Madrid in 1987, aged 90.

See also[link]

• Café Gijón (Madrid)

External links[link]

• Fundación Gerardo Diego (in Spanish)