Arade River

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Arade River
Railway bridge over the Arade at Portimão
Country Portugal
Region Algarve
Municipality Silves, Portimão
Source Serra do Malhão at the gully called Barranco do Pé do Coelho
Mouth Into the Atlantic at Portimão
Length 75 km (47 mi)

The Arade is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal.[1] the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source[2] of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mountain ridge, in a valley called Barranco do Pé do Coelho. The river has a total length of 75.0 kilometres (46.6 mi), with its source being 481 metres (1,578 ft) above sea level. The mouth of the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean between the city of Portimão and the freguesia of Ferragudo, in Lagoa Municipality.

File:Rio Arade.JPG
Mouth of the Arade from Portimão

From the time of the Moors until the 19th century, the Arade was navigable up to as far as Silves[3] about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), where an important port used to exist, especially for the cork trade. Nowadays only small boats can go that far.

File:Barragem do Funcho.JPG
Barragem do Funcho

Dams

Part of the reason for the present low water flow (and subsequent silting up) of the river has been the erection of two dams in the middle reaches of the river—the Barragem (Dam) de Arade and above it the Barragem do Funcho.

References

  1. Detail Regional Map, Algarve- Southern Portugal, ISBN 3-8297-6235-6
  2. Silves, Tourist Guide to the Town and Borough, By J.D. Garcia Domingues (Empresa Litográfica Do Sul, S.A.).
  3. Silves, Tourist Guide to the Town and Borough, By J.D. Garcia Domingues (Empresa Litográfica Do Sul, S.A.).

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.