The Urola is a river and valley in
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...
,
Basque Autonomous Community
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous com ...
, Spain.
The river is only 55 kilometres in length, and runs from headwaters in the
Aizkorri Mountains,
near the town of
Legazpi to its outflow into the
Cantabrian Sea
The Cantabrian Sea is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest side of the Atlantic coast of France, included in the Bay of Biscay. It extends from ...
at the town of
Zumaia
Zumaia (, ) is a small town in the north of Spain in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country.
The town has two beaches (Itzurun and Santiago), which are of interest to geologists because they are situated among the longest set ...
on the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
. It forms the border between the municipalities of
Zumárraga and
Urretxu
Urretxu ( Spanish, ''Villareal de Urrechu'') is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.
Situated on the Urola river, it is contiguous with the larger town of Zumarraga immed ...
, and further downriver, it passes through the towns of
Azkoitia
Azkoitia () is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in northern Spain. It is also the seat of the Municipalities of Spain, municipality of the same name.
...
and
Azpeitia
Azpeitia (meaning 'down the rock' in Basque language, Basque) is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality within the Provinces of Spain, province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain, located on ...
.
The word ''urola'' comes from two basque words ''Ur'' and ''Ola'', meaning "water" and "factory" respectively referring to the water mills which have stood in the valley since the Middle Ages.
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 ...
References
Rivers of the Basque Country (autonomous community)
Landforms of Gipuzkoa
Rivers of Spain
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