Alcantara Dam
Encyclopedia
The Alcantara Dam, also known as the Jose María de Oriol Dam, in Spain
, regulates much of the flow of the Tagus River, the longest of the Iberian Peninsula
, just before the river enters Portugal
. It was built in 1969 and is the second largest reservoir in Europe. While the dam was built to ease the severe droughts in the area, the droughts only became worse on the Portuguese side of the dam after its creation.
The famous Roman
Alcántara Bridge
is located only 600 m downstream.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, regulates much of the flow of the Tagus River, the longest of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, just before the river enters Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. It was built in 1969 and is the second largest reservoir in Europe. While the dam was built to ease the severe droughts in the area, the droughts only became worse on the Portuguese side of the dam after its creation.
The famous Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Alcántara Bridge
Alcántara Bridge
The Alcántara Bridge is a Roman stone arch bridge built over the Tagus River at Alcántara, Spain between 104 and 106 CE by an order of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 98...
is located only 600 m downstream.