The Guadalquivir is a river in southern Spain, the fifth largest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the largest in Andalusia. Length of the river is 657 km. Surface area of the basin is 56 978 km². The name of the river comes from the Arabic al-wadi al-Kabir (the great river), while the Romans called it Betis.
The course of the Guadalquivir flow
It rises in Cañada de las Fuentes at 1400 m at the end of the municipality of Quesada, in the Cazorla mountains (Jaén province), which belong to the Andalusian mountains. Below the mountains, the river valley widens from east to west, reaching a width of 150 to 200 m in the Andalusian lowlands between Seville and Córdoba. Below Seville, it flows through the spacious, humid area of Las Marismas del Guadalquivir, where it divides into individual branches. Before reaching the mouth of the Gulf of Cádiz on the Atlantic Ocean, it rejoins a single channel and, at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, flows into an estuary up to 7 km wide, shared by the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva.
It flows through the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba and Seville and its catchment area covers all eight Andalusian provinces. As well as some of the counties of Murcia, Albacete, Ciudad Real and Badajoz.
Water regime and use
The water source is mainly rainfall. It reaches its highest water levels in February and March. It is used for irrigation. Water transport is possible to Córdoba, with sea-going ships reaching Seville at high tide. The port of Seville experienced its greatest glory during the Siglo de Oro period. When wealth from the Spanish colonies flowed in.
