Ebro

The Ebro is a river in northeastern Spain, one of the longest and most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It flows through seven Spanish communities (Cantabria, Castile and León, La Rioja, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia) and has two other countries in its basin (all of Andorra, a small part of France). The river is 928 km long. Surface area of the river basin is 86 800 km². The ancient name of the river Iber is the origin of the name of the Iberian Peninsula (Iberian) and its original inhabitants, the Iberians.

The course of the Ebro

It rises on the southern slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains and crosses the north-eastern part of the Old Town Highlands in a deep valley at its upper reaches. In the middle reaches it flows through the Aragon plain, where the channel divides in places into individual arms. In the lower part of its course, through a series of narrow, rugged gorges. It flows through the outcrops of the Catalan mountains, below which it flows into the coastal plain. It enters the Mediterranean through a delta of approximately 250 km², through which the river flows in a straight, regulated channel, the banks of which are lined with dykes.

Uses and water regime

It reaches its highest water levels in winter and spring, when the water can rise by 4 to 6 m. In summer and autumn, the water level is low. Even in this period there can be sudden floods caused by rain. The average flow of water in the lower reaches of the river near Tortosa is approximately 618 m³/s, with a maximum of 8000 m³/s.

In the Aragon plain, irrigation canals (Aragon, Tauste) separate from the river. An area of approximately 1 000 km² is irrigated in the river valley. Water transport is possible to Zaragoza. Hydroelectric power stations have been built on the river (Mequinenza, Flix). The towns of Miranda de Ebro, Logroño, Zaragoza, Tortosa are located on the river.

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