The Lima River (Portuguese name; known as Limia in Spanish and
Galician) runs west from the
autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of
Galicia in
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 ...
to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, where it enters the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
at
Viana do Castelo
Viana do Castelo () is a concelho, municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo District, Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2021 was 85,778, in an area of . The urbanized are ...
, covering .
Etymology and history
The
Romans identified the Lima (called ''Limaeas'') with the mythical
Lethe
In Greek mythology, Lethe (; Ancient Greek: ''Lḗthē''; , ) was one of the rivers of the underworld of Hades. In Classical Greek, the word '' lethe'' ( λήθη) literally means "forgetting", "forgetfulness". The river is also known as Amel ...
and also said that some
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were a group of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting an area in the central-northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BC. They were explicitly mentioned as being Celts by several classic authors (e.g. Strabo) ...
called it the Belion.
became the first Roman to cross the river, carrying his standard with him to convince his frightened soldiers to follow.
Description
The source of the Lima is
Talariño Mountain at above sea level, close to the village of Paradiña in the
Sarreaus municipality (
Ourense
Ourense (; ) is a city and the capital of the province of province of Ourense, Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path o ...
, Spain). In Spain, it extends for and is known by regional names such as Alariño, Freixo and Mourenzo; however, the official term in Galicia is Limia.
It crosses the border into Portugal through the reservoir created by the
Alto Lindoso Dam () close to
Lindoso village, just west of the border between the two countries. The dam includes a
hydro-electric plant, and creates a large reservoir on the Spanish side of the border. The reservoir flooded several villages in the Spanish municipality of
Lobios, including
Aceredo and Buscalque, O Bao, A Reloeira and Lantemil,
in 1992, but after a prolonged drought over the Spanish winter of 2021/2022, the
"ghost village" of Aceredo had emerged and was again on dry land by February 2022.
The river runs through the municipalities of
Ponte da Barca
Ponte da Barca (; ) is a municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo (district), Viana do Castelo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 12,061, in an area of 182.11 km2.
The present Mayor is Augusto Manuel Dos Reis Marinho, elected by ...
and
Ponte de Lima
Ponte de Lima () is the oldest ''vila'' (chartered town, head of a municipality) in Portugal, in the district of Viana do Castelo (district), Viana do Castelo. Situated on the southern bank of the Lima River, it takes its name from the medieval br ...
, before reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Viana do Castelo.
See also
*
Rivers of Galicia The rivers of Galicia form part of a dense hydrography, hydrographical network in the Spain, Spanish autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia and has been described by Otero Pedrayo as “the land of a thousand rivers”. Most rivers are not ...
References
Natura 2000 in Portugal
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