Guadiana, River system in Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura, and Andalusia, Spain.
Guadiana is a river system in Spain and Portugal that flows 778 kilometers from central Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. It crosses several Spanish regions and later forms part of the natural border between the two countries.
Romans called this waterway Anas, while medieval Arabic speakers gave it a new name combining their word for riverbed with the Roman root. Settlers along its banks used the flow as a guide for placing towns and fields.
The river basin supports extensive agricultural activities across Spanish provinces, transforming previously dry regions into productive farming territories through irrigation systems.
Small boats can travel from the mouth up to Mértola, roughly 68 kilometers inland. Larger vessels operate between Pomarão and the coastal towns of Ayamonte and Vila Real.
Near Daimiel, the Záncara and Gigüela rivers join to create marshy lakes known as Ojos del Guadiana. These wetlands attract many water birds and offer habitat for different species.
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