Minho River

Miño (Spanish)(Galician)
Minho (Portuguese)
River
The river Miño, and the town of Tui, as seen from Valença
Name origin: Minius (Latin)
Countries Spain, Portugal
City Lugo, Ourense
Source Pedregal de Irimia
 - location Serra de Meira, Lugo, Galicia, Spain
 - elevation 695 m (2,280 ft)
 - coordinates
Source confluence Peares
 - location Ourense, Galicia, Spain
 - coordinates
Mouth Miño Estuary
 - location Atlantic Ocean, Spain & Portugal
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
 - coordinates
Length 350 km (217 mi)
Discharge
 - average 340 m3/s (12,007 cu ft/s)
Reservoirs Belesar, Peares, Velle, Castrelo and Frieira
Map showing the location of the Minho
Rio Minho redirects here. For the river of that name in Jamaica, see Rio Minho (Jamaica)

The Minho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmiɲu]) or Miño (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmiɲo], also Galician) is the longest river in Galicia, Spain, with an extension of 340 km.

Both names come from Latin Minius. The Minho waters vineyards and farmland, is used to produce hydroelectric power, and also delineates a section of the Spanish/Portuguese border.

The source of the Minho lies about 50 km north of Lugo in Galicia, in a place called Pedregal of Irimia. The river passes just south of the walls of this old Roman city and flows south through canyons until the valley widens north of Ourense. The river has been harnessed in reservoirs from Portomarín to Frieira. In its length it has the following reservoirs: Belesar with 654 hm³, Peares with 182 hm³, Velle with 17 hm³, Castrelo with 60 hm³ and Frieira with 44 hm³.

Twenty kilometers north of Ourense at Os Peares the Minho receives the waters of its main tributary, the Sil. Passing Ourense, the river flows in a southwest direction until reaching the Portuguese border near Melgaço. There is one major dam at Frieira near the town of Ribadavia, which is famous for its Ribeiro wine (called after the name of the region).

The Portuguese Minho divides the two countries for about 80 km. The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where every square metre of land is used to produce corn, potatoes, cabbage, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and everywhere edging the fields, rivers and gardens, wherever there is space, the vines which produce the light, slightly sparkling “Vinho Verde” peculiar to this area. The very best of these, Alvarinho, is produced in the area around Monção and Melgaço.

The Minho as seen from Tui with Valença in the background.

Passing the medieval towns of Melgaço and Monção the Minho divides the Spanish Tui and Portuguese Valença do Minho, towns that guarded an important crossing for road and rail. Both towns preserve fortifications and are national monuments. The Minho reaches the Atlantic near Caminha.

Contents

Tributaries

Right

Left

External links