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).[6] However, were that 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 Irishdobur "water" and river name Dobhar in Ireland and Scotland.[7] Modern Welshdŵr "water" is cognate with modern Bretondour and Cornish dur "water" and results from a later typical Brittonic evolution of *dubro-,[7] unknown in the Continental Celtic languages.
The Douro vinhateiro ("vine-land") of 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 wine is transported there in tanker trucks.
In the 1960s and 1970s, dams with locks were built along 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 The convention superseded an agreement on the Douro, signed in 1927, that was expanded in 1964 and 1968 to include tributaries.[11]
Geography
A SPOT Satellite image of the Douro RiverProfile of the Douro River, from its source in the mountains of the Sistema Ibérico to Foz do Douro
It is the third-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebro. Its total length is 897km (557mi),[12] of which only stretches of the Portuguese section, being below a fall/rapids line, are naturally navigable, by modest rivercraft.[13] The Douro River basin encompasses an area of approximately 97,290km2 (37,560sqmi).[14]
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 the Ribera del Duero wine region. Sheep rearing is also important.
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 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.
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.
The Ribeira (meaning riverside). Its tall, colourful-building terraces is the main part of the river bank in the major city of Porto; it attracts numerous tourists
These reaches of the Douro have a mesoclimate[specify] 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, 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.
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 83m (272ft 4in) and width of 11.4m (37ft 5in) can pass through the five locks. The highest lock, at Carrapatelo Dam, has a maximum lift of 35m (114ft 10in). The waters of Pocinho lake reach 125 metres (410ft 1in) above sea level. Unannounced releases of water from upstream Spanish dams occasionally causes navigation issues in these locks.
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