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23-569: The scenic Douro railway line runs close to the river. Adjacent areas produce port (a mildly fortified wine) and other agricultural produce. A small tributary of the river has the Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site which is considered important to the archaeological pre-historic patrimony, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Within Spain, it flows through the middle of the autonomous community of Castile and León , with

46-485: A prosperous tourist industry has developed based on river excursions from Porto to points along the Upper Douro valley. The Douro railway line ( Linha do Douro ) was completed in 1887; it connects Porto, Rio Tinto, Ermesinde, Valongo, Paredes, Penafiel, Livração, Marco de Canaveses, Régua, Tua and Pocinho. Pocinho is near the very small city of Foz Côa, which is close to Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site. This

69-481: Is a 99-mile (160 km) railway line in northern Portugal that runs from Ermesinde to the eastern terminus at Pocinho . The line runs close to the Douro River for much of its route, offering scenic views of the river and valley. Passenger trains are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP) and run between Porto São Bento and Pocinho , taking 3 hours and 20 minutes. Freight trains operated by Medway also run on

92-579: Is built to the Iberian gauge of 1,668 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 21 ⁄ 32  in ). The line is single track, apart from a double track section between Ermesinde and Caíde (the authorisation for the dualling work was given by CP in 1993). In 1984, the Spanish rail operator RENFE announced the closure of its connecting line from La Fuente de San Esteban to the Portuguese border. With

115-821: Is cognate with modern Breton dour and Cornish dur "water" and results from a later typical Brittonic evolution of *dubro- , unknown in the Continental Celtic languages . The possible origin is the hydronymic root *dur- , which is Pre-Indo-European or Pre-Celtic . Albert Dauzat linked this river name to a Pre-Celtic hydronymic root *dor- , which is well attested in Western Europe : in France Doire , Doron , Douron, etc. and in Italy Dora , etc. The meaning of this element is, however, unknown. A folk-etymological derivation suggests that

138-569: Is considered important to the archaeological pre-historic patrimony, and it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Fifteen dams have been built on the Douro to regulate the water flow, generate hydroelectric power , and allow navigation through locks . Beginning at the headwaters, the first five dams are in Spain: Cuerda del Pozo , Los Rábanos , San José , Villalcampo and Castro Dams . The next five downstream are along

161-694: The Aldeadávila Dam impounds the river, there are protected areas: the International Douro Natural Park (on the Portuguese side) and the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (on the Zamoran margin). The Douro fully enters Portuguese territory just after the confluence with the Águeda River ; once the Douro enters Portugal, major population centres are less frequent along the river. Except for Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia at

184-571: The Douro Valley in Portugal, long devoted to vineyards , has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site . The wine was taken downriver in flat-bottom boats called rabelos , to be stored in barrels in cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia , just across the river from Porto . Nowadays port is transported there in tanker trucks. In the 1960s and 1970s, dams with locks were built along

207-485: The Ribera del Duero wine region. Sheep rearing is also still important. The drainage basin borders those of Miño to the north, Ebro to the east, and Tajo to the south. For 112 kilometres (70 mi), the river forms part of the border between Spain and Portugal , in a region of narrow canyons . It formed a historical barrier to invasions, creating a cultural/linguistic divide. In these isolated areas, in which

230-615: The Douro River are Valladolid and Zamora in Spain, and Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. The latter two are located at the mouth of the Douro at the Atlantic Ocean. In Portugal, the Douro flows through the districts of Bragança , Guarda , Viseu , Vila Real , Aveiro and Porto . Porto is the main hub city in northern Portugal. Its historic centre has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its significant architecture and history. These reaches of

253-430: The Douro have a mesoclimate allowing for cultivation of olives , almonds , and especially grapes , which are important for making port . The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of port, with its quintas (or farms/estates) that extend along the steep slopes of the river valleys. In the 21st century, many of these are owned by multinational, reputed wine companies. Recently,

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276-506: The Douro line, but the last of these closed in 2009. Geographically, from west to east they were: Source for IP 's network: www .refer .pt /Documentos /Directorio _da _Rede _2010 .pdf , page. 54 See also: Rolling stock of Portugal Castile (historical region) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

299-550: The Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebro . Its total length is 897 kilometres (557 mi), of which only sections of the Portuguese section, being below a fall/rapids line, are naturally navigable, by modest rivercraft. The Douro River basin encompasses an area of approximately 97,290 square kilometres. In its Spanish section, the Douro crosses the great Castilian meseta and meanders through five provinces of

322-524: The Portuguese-Spanish border; the first three are owned and operated by Portugal: ( Miranda , Picote and Bemposta Dams ), while the next two belong to Spain: ( Aldeadávila and Saucelle Dams ). The Douro's last five dams are in Portugal, and allow for navigation: Pocinho , Valeira , Régua , Carrapatelo , and Crestuma–Lever dams. Vessels with a maximum length of 83 metres (272 ft) and width of 11.4 metres (37 ft) can pass through

345-588: The autonomous community of Castile and León : Soria , Burgos , Valladolid , Zamora , and Salamanca , passing through the towns of Soria , Almazán , Aranda de Duero , Tordesillas , and Zamora . The most important tributaries in this region are the Pisuerga , passing through Valladolid , and the Esla , which passes through Zamora . This region is generally semi-arid plains, with wheat and in some places, especially near Aranda de Duero , with vineyards , in

368-584: The basin spanning through the northern half of the Meseta Central . The latter includes wine producing areas such as the Ribera del Duero DOP. The Latin name Durius might have been a Celtic name before the overwhelming Romanization of Iberia. If so, the Celtic root could have been *dubro- (in that family of languages the final vowel sound often changes with context, as in Latin). However, were that

391-530: The case, the - b -, of which there remains no trace, would not have disappeared, as evidenced by place-names derived from Gaulish *dubron (plural dubra ), such as French Douvres and English Dover (3rd/4th-century Dubris ; Douvres in French), Spanish Dobra, German Tauber ( Dubra-gave 807), and Gaelic/ Old Irish dobur "water" and river name Dobhar in Ireland and Scotland. Modern Welsh dŵr "water"

414-412: The five locks . The highest lock, at Carrapatelo Dam, has a maximum lift of 35 metres (115 ft). The waters of Pocinho lake reach 125 metres (410 ft) above sea level. Unannounced releases of water from upstream Spanish dams occasionally causes navigation issues in these locks. Douro railway line + Ermesinde × Pocinho ( 🔎 ) The Douro line (Portuguese: Linha do Douro)

437-470: The line. From west to east, the line runs from the junction at Ermesinde to Pocinho . The line formerly continued east for a further 28 kilometres to the Spanish border. Until 1984, the track connected to a Spanish line, thus allowing through trains to/from Salamanca . Passenger trains normally run from São Bento station in Porto to Pocinho, with some not running as far as the eastern terminus. The line

460-439: The loss of international traffic, CP had to close its line east of Barca d'Alva to Spain. The service was cut back to Pocinho in 1988, which has since remained the eastern terminus of the Douro line. As of May 2023, there are intentions to reactivate the extension from Pocinho to the border town of Barca d'Alva, with a preliminary study commissioned on May 10th. There were formerly five metre gauge branch lines connecting with

483-429: The name comes from the Portuguese or Spanish term for "golden". In Roman times, the river was personified as a god, Durius . Part of the drainage basin might have been severely depopulated in the 8th century. According to Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz this was a deliberate act by Alfonso I of Asturias for the defence of his Kingdom , which led the area to be named Repoblación . The Douro vinhateiro (vine-land) of

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506-583: The river mouth, the only population centres of any note are Foz do Tua, Pinhão and Peso da Régua . Tributaries here are small, merging into the Douro along the canyons; the most important are Côa , Tua , Sabor , Corgo , Tavora , Paiva , Tâmega , and Sousa . None of these small, fast-flowing rivers is navigable. Major Spanish riverside towns include Soria , Almazán , Aranda de Duero , Tordesillas , Zamora and major Portuguese towns include Miranda do Douro , Foz Côa , Peso da Régua , Lamego , Vila Nova de Gaia , and Porto . The most populous cities along

529-488: The river, allowing river traffic into the upper regions in Spain and along the border. In 1998, Portugal and Spain signed the Albufeira Convention, an agreement on the sharing of trans-boundary rivers to include the Douro, Tagus and Guadiana . The convention superseded an agreement on the Douro, signed in 1927, that was expanded in 1964 and 1968 to include tributaries. It is the third-longest river in

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