Barbate (river)
Encyclopedia
The River Barbate or Barbate River is a coastal river in southern Spain
. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean
at Barbate
(the town after which it is named) in the province
of Cádiz
, autonomous community
of Andalusia
.
The Barbate begins in the northern foothills of the Sierra del Aljibe, at an altitude of a 920 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) above sea level. The upper portion of the river descends rapidly, running through Triassic
terrain, and dropping 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) in barely 10 kilometres (6.2 mi); after that, the river descends gently over Eocene
terrain, losing only 200 metres (656.2 ft) in the rest of its course, which after the confluence with the river Alberite flows through Quaternary
terrain. Because the river, with a length of over 80 kilometres (49.7 mi), flows in all but its upper part through relatively flat land, it meanders considerably.
The Barbate and its tributaries drain an area of 1290 square kilometres (498.1 sq mi) (17.6 percent of the province of Cádiz). It runs through wide colluvial plains and the magnificent dark clay soils the Spanish call bujeo or the tierras negras andaluzas ("black Andalusian lands"), arriving finally in the desiccated former Janda Lagoon, where the River Almodóvar flows into the Barbate from the left. Other tributaries are the Rocinejo, the Celemín (river), the Álamo and the Fraja.
It then passes Alcalá de los Gazules
, Benalup-Casas Viejas
, and after passing through the gorge of Barca de Vejer, it passes through the 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of the Marismas de Barbate, to its mouth at Barbate.
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...
. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
at Barbate
Barbate
- External links :** - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía*...
(the town after which it is named) in the province
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Cádiz
Cádiz (province)
Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
, autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
.
The Barbate begins in the northern foothills of the Sierra del Aljibe, at an altitude of a 920 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) above sea level. The upper portion of the river descends rapidly, running through Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
terrain, and dropping 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) in barely 10 kilometres (6.2 mi); after that, the river descends gently over Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
terrain, losing only 200 metres (656.2 ft) in the rest of its course, which after the confluence with the river Alberite flows through Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
terrain. Because the river, with a length of over 80 kilometres (49.7 mi), flows in all but its upper part through relatively flat land, it meanders considerably.
The Barbate and its tributaries drain an area of 1290 square kilometres (498.1 sq mi) (17.6 percent of the province of Cádiz). It runs through wide colluvial plains and the magnificent dark clay soils the Spanish call bujeo or the tierras negras andaluzas ("black Andalusian lands"), arriving finally in the desiccated former Janda Lagoon, where the River Almodóvar flows into the Barbate from the left. Other tributaries are the Rocinejo, the Celemín (river), the Álamo and the Fraja.
It then passes Alcalá de los Gazules
Alcalá de los Gazules
Alcalá de los Gazules is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2006 census, the town has a population of 5,633 inhabitants...
, Benalup-Casas Viejas
Benalup-Casas Viejas
Casas Viejas is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 6,754 inhabitants.Casas Viejas is located in the Ruta del Toro.-Benalup-Casas Viejas revolution:...
, and after passing through the gorge of Barca de Vejer, it passes through the 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of the Marismas de Barbate, to its mouth at Barbate.