Guadalhorce
Encyclopedia
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
forfex, "scissors") is the principal river of the Province of Málaga, southern Spain
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...
.
Its source is in the Sierra de Alhama in the Province of Granada. It drains the depression of Antequera
Antequera
Antequera is a city and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" because of its central location among Málaga, Granada, Córdoba, and Seville...
and flows into the Mediterranean west of the city of Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
. It flows for 166 km through southern 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...
. It is the river with the greatest flow along the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
after the Guadiaro
Guadiaro
The Guadiaro is a river in the Spanish provinces of Cádiz and Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It flows southward from the Sierra Bermeja through the Sierra de Grazalema and discharges into the Mediterranean at Sotogrande. The river is notable for having some of the only...
. It forms the gorge of El Chorro
El Chorro
El Chorro is a limestone gorge in Andalusia in southern Spain, through which passes the Guadalhorce river. It was dammed in 1921, forming three reservoirs which are flanked by pine forests....
, a 7 km long canyon before flowing through the Hoya de Málaga. Over its course, it passes through the towns of Villanueva del Trabuco
Villanueva del Trabuco
Villanueva del Trabuco is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 45 kilometres from Málaga and 34 from Antequera. It has a population of approximately 5,000 residents. The natives...
, Villanueva del Rosario, Archidona
Archidona
Archidona is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from the city of Málaga and 20 from Antequera. It has a population of approximately 8,500 residents. The natives...
, Antequera
Antequera
Antequera is a city and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" because of its central location among Málaga, Granada, Córdoba, and Seville...
, Alhaurín el Grande
Alhaurín el Grande
Alhaurin el Grande is a town located in the province of Málaga in Andalusia, southern Spain, 30 km from the provincial capital, and at 239 meters above the sea level.It is situated between the river Fahala and the stream of Blas González...
, Alhaurín de la Torre
Alhaurín de la Torre
Alhaurín de la Torre is a town in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Southern Spain. The town is part of Málaga Metropolitan Area and of the Comarca of Valle del Guadalhorce....
, Almogía
Almogía
Almogía is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 25 km from Malaga capital. It has a population of approximately 4,300 residents...
, Álora
Álora
Álora is a town of southern Spain, part of the province of Málaga, located c. 40 km from Málaga, on the right bank of the river Guadalhorce, and on the Córdoba-Málaga high-speed rail line...
, Cártama
Cártama
Cártama is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 17 km from Málaga. It is one of the most extensive towns in the province, covering c. 105 km²...
, Coín
Coín
Coín is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, Spain, c. 33 km west of the provincial capital, Málaga, and c. 30 km north of Marbella...
, Pizarra
Pizarra
Pizarra is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 30 kilometres from Málaga....
and Valle de Abdalajís
Valle de Abdalajís
Valle de Abdalajís is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from Málaga. It has a population of approximately 3000 residents...
, forming the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Valle del Guadalhorce
Valle del Guadalhorce
The Valle del Guadalhorce is a comarca in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. It includes 8 municipalities and is part of the natural region of the Guadalhorce river.Coín is traditionally considered the most important town in the comarca...
before bifurcating
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
shortly before the sea. A portion of the river is diverted to provide water and power to the city of Málaga. Near the mouth of the river is the remains of a Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n settlement at Cerro del Villar.
Geology
During the MioceneMiocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
era, the river's valley was actually an arm of the sea that connected the waters of the Mediterranean with those of 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...
through the Bética depression (now the valley of the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
). En the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
, this connection was severed by the creation of the Sierra of Mijas
Mijas
Mijas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, in Andalusia, southern Spain. It is a typically Andalusian white-washed village located at a mountain side about 450 m above mean sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region...
and the Montes de Málaga
Montes de Málaga
Montes de Málaga is the name of a series of mountains as well as the name of a natural park in Andalusia, Spain, near Málaga....
, while also creating the geologically isolated Sierra of Cártama
Cártama
Cártama is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 17 km from Málaga. It is one of the most extensive towns in the province, covering c. 105 km²...
. Throughout the rest of the Pliocene, the river basin eventually took on its current form.
Tributaries
- Pereilas
- Río Grande
- Arroyo El Valle
- Nacimiento
- TurónTurónTurón is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain. As of 2010, it has a population of 297 inhabitants.- External links :...
- Caballos
- Guadalteba
- Fahala
- CampanillasCampanillasCampanillas, also known as District 9, is one of the 10 districts of the city of Málaga, Spain.It comprises the wards of Amoníaco, Campanillas, Castañetas, Centro de Transporte de Mercancías, Colmenarejo, El Brillante, El Prado, El Tarajal, Estación de Campanillas, Parque Industrial Trévenez,...
- Arroyo Marín
- Arroyo del Quinto