Minho (river)

The Minho (/ˈmiːn.juː/ MEEN-yoo, Portuguese: [ˈmiɲu]) or Miño (/ˈmiːnjoʊ/ MEEN-yoh, Spanish: [ˈmiɲo], Galician: [ˈmiɲʊ]; Proto-Celtic: *Miniu) is the longest river in Galicia, sharing the border with Portugal, with a length of 340 kilometres (210 mi). By discharge, it is the fourth river of the Iberian peninsula, after the Douro, Ebro and Tagus.

Minho Miño
The river Minho, and the town of Tui, as seen from Valença
Map showing the location of the Minho
Nickname(s)	O Pai Miño (Galician for '"The Father Minho"')
Native name	Miño  (Spanish, Galician) Minho  (Portuguese)
Location
Country	Spain, Portugal
City	Lugo, Ourense
Physical characteristics
Source	Pedregal de Irimia
• location	Serra de Meira, Lugo, Galicia, Spain
• coordinates	43°12′41″N 7°16′52″W
• elevation	695 m (2,280 ft)
Source confluence	Peares
• location	Ourense, Galicia, Spain
• coordinates	42°27′14″N 7°43′48″W
Mouth	Miño Estuary
• location	Atlantic Ocean, Spain
• coordinates	41°52′0″N 8°52′12″W
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	350 km (220 mi)
Discharge
• average	420 m3/s (15,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Reservoirs	Belesar, Peares, Velle, Castrelo and Frieira

The Minho waters vineyards and farmland, is used to produce hydroelectric power, and 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 in Galicia, in a place called Pedregal de Irimia. After about 73 kilometres (45 mi), 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 654 cubic hectometres (530,000 acre⋅ft), Peares with 182 cubic hectometres (148,000 acre⋅ft), Velle with 17 cubic hectometres (14,000 acre⋅ft), Castrelo with 60 cubic hectometres (49,000 acre⋅ft) and Frieira with 44 cubic hectometres (36,000 acre⋅ft).

About 20 kilometres (12 mi) 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 260 kilometres (160 mi) through Galicia, the Minho sets the border to Portugal for about other 80 kilometres (50 mi), 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, the vines which 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 between the Galician A Guarda and the Portuguese Caminha, with an average discharge of 420 m³/s.