The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in 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 ...

, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest river of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

after the

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

, and

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

rivers. The Minho waters vineyards and farmland and is used to produce hydroelectric power. It also delineates a section of the Spanish– Portuguese border. In ancient English maps, it appears as Minno. The source of the Minho lies north of

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

in Galicia, in a place called '' Pedregal de Irimia''. After about , the river passes just south of the walls of this old Roman city, discharging in average 42 m³/s, and flows south through canyons until the valley widens north of Ourense. The river has been harnessed in reservoirs from Portomarín to Frieira. Along its length, it has the following reservoirs: Belesar with , Peares with, Velle with, Castrelo with, and Frieira with . About north of Ourense at Os Peares, the Minho, with a discharge of 102 m³/s, receives the waters of its main tributary, the Sil, with 184 m³/s. Passing Ourense, there is one major dam at Frieira near the town of Ribadavia, which is famous for its Ribeiro DOP wine (called after the name of the region). There, the Minho averages 316 m³/s of discharge. Later on, the river flows in a southwest direction until reaching the Portuguese border near Melgaço. After through Galicia, the Minho sets the border with

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 ...

for about , mainly towards the west. The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where the land is used to produce corn, potatoes, cabbage, even kiwi fruit, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and everywhere, edging the fields, rivers, and gardens, wherever there is space, are the vines that produce the light, slightly sparkling "Vinho Verde" and the Ribeiro wine, both peculiar to this area. The very best of these wines, Alvarinho in Portuguese or Albariño in Spanish and Galician, is produced in the area around Monção, Arbo, and Melgaço. Passing the medieval towns of Melgaço and Monção, the Minho divides the Spanish Tui and Portuguese Valença do Minho, towns that guarded an important bridge for road and rail. Both towns preserve fortifications and are national monuments. The Minho reaches the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

between the Galician A Guarda and the Portuguese Caminha, with an average discharge of 420 m³/s.

Geography

The river begins in the Pedregal de Irimia of the Sierra de Meira, about above sea level, in the northeast of the province of Lugo, where it flows through the town of Meira and reaches the lagoon Fonminhá in the municipality of A Pastoriza. The

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

was historically (and wrongly) regarded as the source of the Minho. The river flows through the Galician massif, the Cantabrian Mountain range and the mountains of Leon, two of the rainiest areas of the

. The upper course has been declared a Biosphere Reserve. The first cross the plateau of Lugo (Terrachá), a peneplain whose elevation ranges from above the sea level. The main tributaries are the Sil, Neira, Avia, Barbantiño, Búbal, Arnoya rivers. Foz do Minho - Vista de Vila Nova de Cerveira

Foz do Minho - Vista de Vila Nova de Cerveira

Etymology

According to E. Bascuas, "Miño", registered as ''Minius'' and ''Mineus'', is a form belonging to the old European hydronymy and derived from the

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

root ''*mei-'' 'walk, go'.

Legends, traditions and superstitions

Oral tradition contains stories telling of Galician mythological characters living in the basin of the Rio Minho, such as ''feiticeiras'' (witches) who lived in the river, the Xarcos who dwelt in wells located throughout the watershed, and fish-men who were amphibious with the possibility of living both on land and in water.

Tributaries

Right

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

** Río Tamuxe (also called Carballas, Carballo or Carvallo) ** Río Pego ** Río Cereixo da Brinha ** Río Furnia (also called Forcadela) ** Río Louro ** Río Caselas ** Río Tea ** Río Uma ** Río Deva (there is another Deva River on the left bank) ** Río Ribadil ** Río Cea * Ourense ** Río Avia ** Río Barbantiño ** Río Bubal *

** Río Asma ** Río Narón ** Río Ferreira ** Río Mera ** Río Narla ** Río Ladra ** Río Támoga ** Río Anllo

Left

** Rio Mouro ** Rio Gadanha ** Rio Coura * Ourense ** Río Deva ** Río Arnoia ** Río Barbaña ** Río Lonia ** Sil River *

** Río Sardiñeira ** Río Loio ** Río Neira ** Río Chamoso ** Río Robra (also called Río Santa Marta) ** Río Lea ** Río Azúmar

References

External links

*
El Rio Miño y ciudad de Tui

{{Authority control Natura 2000 in Portugal