 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Minho Miño | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map showing the location of the Minho | |
| Nickname | O Pai Miño (Galician for 'The Father Minho') |
| Native name |
|
| Location | |
| Country | Spain,Portugal |
| City | Lugo,Ourense |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Pedregal de Irimia |
| • location | Serra de Meira,Lugo,Galicia,Spain |
| • coordinates | 43°12′41″N7°16′52″W / 43.21139°N 7.28111°W /43.21139; -7.28111 |
| • elevation | 695 m (2,280 ft) |
| Source confluence | Peares |
| • location | Ourense,Galicia,Spain |
| • coordinates | 42°27′14″N7°43′48″W / 42.45389°N 7.73000°W /42.45389; -7.73000 |
| Mouth | Miño Estuary. NearCaminha, Portugal. |
• location | Atlantic Ocean,Spain |
• coordinates | 41°52′0″N8°52′12″W / 41.86667°N 8.87000°W /41.86667; -8.87000 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 350 km (220 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 420 m3/s (15,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Reservoirs | Belesar, Peares, Velle, Castrelo and Frieira |
TheMinho (/ˈmiːn.juː/MEEN-yoo;Portuguese:[ˈmiɲu]) orMiño (/ˈmiːnjoʊ/MEEN-yoh;Spanish:[ˈmiɲo]ⓘ;Galician:[ˈmiɲʊ];Proto-Celtic: *Miniu) is the longest river in theautonomous community ofGalicia inSpain, with a length of 340 kilometres (210 mi). It forms a part of theinternational border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest river of theIberian Peninsula after theDouro,Ebro, andTagus rivers.
The Minho waters vineyards and farmland and is used to producehydroelectric power. It also delineates a section of theSpanish–Portuguese border. In ancient English maps, it appears as Minno.[citation needed]
The source of the Minho lies north ofLugo in Galicia, in a place calledPedregal de Irimia. After about 73 kilometres (45 mi), the river passes just south of the walls of this old Roman city, discharging in average 42 m3/s, and flows south through canyons until the valley widens north ofOurense. The river has been harnessed in reservoirs fromPortomarín toFrieira. Along its length, it has the following reservoirs:Belesar with 654 cubic hectometres (530,000 acre⋅ft),Peares with182 cubic hectometres (148,000 acre⋅ft),Velle with17 cubic hectometres (14,000 acre⋅ft),Castrelo with,60 cubic hectometres (49,000 acre⋅ft) and Frieira with 44 cubic hectometres (36,000 acre⋅ft).
About 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Ourense atOs Peares, the Minho, with a discharge of 102 m3/s, receives the waters of its main tributary, theSil, with 184 m3/s. Passing Ourense, there is one major dam at Frieira near the town ofRibadavia, which is famous for itsRibeiro DOP wine (called after the name of the region). There, the Minho averages 316 m3/s of discharge. Later on, the river flows in a southwest direction until reaching the Portuguese border nearMelgaço.
After 260 kilometres (160 mi) through Galicia, the Minho setsthe border withPortugal for about 80 kilometres (50 mi), mainly towards the west. The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where the land is used to produce corn, potatoes, cabbage, even kiwi fruit, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and everywhere, edging the fields, rivers, and gardens, wherever there is space, are the vines that produce the light, slightly sparkling "Vinho Verde" and theRibeiro wine, both peculiar to this area. The very best of these wines,Alvarinho in Portuguese orAlbariño in Spanish andGalician, is produced in the area aroundMonção,Arbo, and Melgaço.
Passing the medieval towns ofMelgaço andMonção, the Minho divides the SpanishTui and PortugueseValença do Minho, towns that guarded an important bridge for road and rail. Both towns preserve fortifications and are national monuments. The Minho reaches theAtlantic between the GalicianA Guarda and the PortugueseCaminha, with an average discharge of 420 m3/s.
The river begins in the Pedregal de Irimia of the Sierra de Meira, about 695 metres (2,280 ft) above sea level, in the northeast of theprovince of Lugo, where it flows through the town ofMeira and reaches the lagoon Fonminhá in the municipality ofA Pastoriza. Thelagoon was historically (and wrongly) regarded as the source of the Minho. The river flows through the Galician massif, theCantabrian Mountain range and the mountains of Leon, two of the rainiest areas of theIberian Peninsula.
The upper course has been declared aBiosphere Reserve. The first 64 kilometres (40 mi) cross the plateau of Lugo (Terrachá), apeneplain whose elevation ranges from 450 to 650 metres (1,480 to 2,130 ft) above the sea level.
The main tributaries are theSil, Neira,Avia,Barbantiño,Búbal,Arnoya rivers.
According toE. Bascuas, "Miño", registered asMinius andMineus, is a form belonging to theold European hydronymy and derived from theIndo-European root*mei- 'walk, go'.[1]
Oral tradition contains stories telling of Galician mythological characters living in the basin of the Rio Minho, such asfeiticeiras (witches) who lived in the river, the Xarcos who dwelt in wells located throughout the watershed, and fish-men who were amphibious with the possibility of living both on land and in water.[2]
{{cite journal}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
