The Ulla (''río Ulla'' in
Galician and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
) is a river in
Galicia,
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 ...
.
Its source is sometimes given as
Antas de Ulla and sometimes the neighbouring municipality of
Monterroso. It flows to the
Ría de Arosa estuary near the city of
Catoira. Its basin is the second largest in Galicia after the basin of
Minho River
The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...
. Tributaries include the rivers Deza and
Arnego.
The river is valued by archaeologists owing to the large number of neolithic artefacts found there. At the outlet of the Ulla River and the mouth of the estuary, called Ría de Arousa, there are two sites where archaeologists have discovered remains including
rock carvings
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
. The Ulla River is also important because it is the river in the northwest 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 ...
to produce a large number of watery hoards, which were discovered in its lower reaches and its mouth.
Etymology
According to
E. Bascuas, "Ulla" is a form belonging to the
old European hydronymy
Old European () is the term used by Hans Krahe (1964) for the language of the oldest reconstructed stratum of European hydronymy (river names) in Central and Western Europe.Hans Krahe, ''Unsere ältesten Flussnamen'', Wiesbaden Edition Otto Harr ...
, and derived from the
Indoeuropean root ''*wel-'' 'wheel, rotate'. This toponym is registered in 906 as "''(fluvius) Volia''", which had derived from a previous form ''*Wulia''.
[Cf. p. 541 of "La Hidronimia de Galicia: tres estratos ..". http://www.mondonedoferrol.org/estudios-mindonienses/MINDONIENSES%2024%20 rotegidopdf]
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 ...
*
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
External links
photos
Rivers of Spain
Rivers of Galicia (Spain)
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