| Description |
Douro or Duero (Portuguese Douro; Spanish Duero; ancient Durius), river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises in Soria Province, north central Spain, and empties, after a course of 895 km (556 mi), into the Atlantic Ocean near Porto (Oporto), Portugal. The general course is west to the boundary of Spain and Portugal, then southwest, delimiting the boundary for 100 km (60 mi), and finally again west across Portugal to its mouth. Navigation on the river is possible in Portugal but is hampered by rapids and occasional floods in the lower reaches; sandbars at the mouth permit only shallow-draft vessels to enter. Of greater economic importance than navigation are irrigation projects in Spain and the expanding development of the hydroelectric potential of the river in Portugal. At Porto de Leixões, the port for Porto north of the mouth of the Douro, a harbor accommodating seagoing vessels has been constructed. The river yields fish and serves as a means of transportation to market for the port and other wines of the Paíz do Vinho region of Portugal (Ref. 53495). |