Guadiana

Guadiana (Arab. Wâdi Ana, the anc. Anas), one of the five principal rivers of the Iberian peninsula, formerly regarded as rising in the desert Campo de Montiel, where a stream which drains the small Lagunas de Ruidera flows north-west and disappears within a few miles of the Zancara. It was long believed that this stream reappeared in a number of springs and lakes that rise some 22 miles to the south-west, known as the Ojos ('Eyes') of the Guadiana, and connected by a small stream with the Zancara; but it has now been ascertained that the waters which disappear higher up find a short underground way to the Zancara, which is therefore the true Upper Guadiana. Rising in the east of the plateau of La Mancha, it flows at first south and west to the Ojos, below which point it receives the name of the Guadiana. It follows a sinuous westerly course as far as Badajoz, then bends southward, forms for some miles the boundary between Spain and Portugal, and flows through part of the province of Alentejo, returning to form the frontier again, until it empties into the Gulf of Cadiz. It is about 510 miles in length, but is navigable only for about 42 miles. Its chief affluents are the Jabalon, Zujar, Matachel, Ardila, and Chanza, all on the left.