The Esla is a river in the provinces of
León and
Zamora in the northwest of
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It is a tributary of the
Duero River that starts in the
Cantabrian Mountains and is long.
Its direction of flow is from north to south. It is the largest tributary of the Duero in terms of discharge; in fact, at its mouth at the confluence with the Duero, it has a greater discharge than the volume in the main river.
The most official source of the river is the “Fuente del Naranco” in Valdosín (near La Uña in León province).
[Atlas de España (1992). El Pais. Aguilar S.A. de Ediciones. ]
This river was known as the Astura to the ancient Romans, from which the
Asturian people
Asturians () are a Romance-speaking world, Romance ethnic group native to the autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, Asturias, in the North-West of the Iberian Peninsula.
Culture and society Heritage
The Asturians have Celts, Celti ...
took their name. They were ancestors of the modern inhabitants of Asturias and León, living on both sides of the Cantabrian Mountains. Many of the toponyms in the area owe their name to the river; for example,
Villafalé (''Villa Fértil a orillas del Río Astura''), ''Vega del Esla'', ''Mansilla del Esla'', etc.
In the 19th century, the Canal del Esla was built to irrigate the Vega de Toral. In the 1980s, a
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
and reservoir project to generate hydroelectric power required the submersion of seven villages along the Esla in León, including
Riaño. New villages were built along the reservoir to replace these historic towns.
The principal tributaries of the Esla are:
*
Bernesga River
*
Cea River
*
Órbigo River
*
Porma River
*
Tera River
*
Aliste River
See also
*
List of rivers of Spain
This is an incomplete list of rivers that are at least partially in Spain. The rivers flowing into the sea are sorted along the coast. Rivers flowing into other rivers are listed by the rivers they flow into. Rivers in the mainland Iberian Peninsu ...
*
Ricobayo Arch Bridge
*
Ricobayo Dam
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Spain
Esla
Tributaries of the Douro River
Esla (river)