The rivers of A Limia: Limia, Arnoia, Támega and streams

Anyone looking at a map of A Limia will see an almost flat plain and, around it, three river systems that do not share the same outlet. The comarca sits on a faint watershed: some drops end up in the Atlantic via the Limia river, others run down to the Miño via the Arnoia, and those on the eastern and southern edge belong to the Támega basin, already on their way to the Douro. This page helps to place each river and stream before moving on to the detailed entries.

The Limia, river of the plain

The Limia river is the axis of the comarca. It rises in the upper part, crosses the depression where the Lagoa de Antela once lay, passes the town of Xinzo de Limia and, after entering the Baixa Limia, crosses the border at Lindoso and ends at Viana do Castelo. Its full entry is in The Limia river; the history of the great lagoon that received part of its waters is in Lagoa de Antela. Because the plain is so flat, the river moves with very little force and, in rainy winters, overflowed easily: the floods that left Xinzo almost cut off are part of the town’s memory.

The Arnoia, to the north

In the north of the comarca, in the San Mamede range, on the lands of Vilar de Barrio, the Arnoia river rises. It does not run towards Portugal like the Limia, but northwards, through the Allariz valley, on its way to the Miño. So, although its headwaters are in A Limia, the rest of its life belongs to another comarca. At Arnuíde the river crossing is marked by a bridge of Roman origin, linked to the old road that joined Chaves with Verín. Further downstream, in Allariz, its waters powered dams such as those of Briñal and Acearrica, from which the town received electric light in October 1911.

The Támega, to the east and south

The Támega does not cross the town of Xinzo or the central plain: it belongs to the Verín area and the Monterrei valley, on the eastern and southern edge of the comarca, and carries its waters to the Douro. It reaches Xinzo mostly through the press that bore its name in Verín (El Támega, Nuevo Támega), in which writers from A Limia contributed.

Streams and springs of the plain

Between these great rivers lies a very dense network of streams, ditches, drainage channels and embankments, many of them dug in the 20th century to drain the lagoon and gain farmland. They give their names to places, mark boundaries between parishes and sometimes keep the old place name of the formerly flooded area. Within the concello of Xinzo de Limia, running water also appears in thirty inventoried springs, wells and washhouses, listed by parish in Springs, washhouses and wells of Xinzo. The Faramontaos river is covered in Protected natural areas.

How to read the water of A Limia

• If the water flows to the Atlantic, you are in the Limia basin.
• If it flows to the Miño, you are in the high villages of the north, in the Arnoia basin.
• If it flows to the Douro, you are already on the eastern or southern edge, in the Támega basin.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main rivers of A Limia?

The Limia, which crosses the plain and the Baixa Limia to Portugal, and the Arnoia, which rises at San Mamede in the north. The Támega lies on the eastern and southern edge.

Where does the Arnoia rise?

In the San Mamede range, on the lands of Vilar de Barrio, in the north of the A Limia comarca.

Does the Támega pass through Xinzo de Limia?

No: it belongs to the Verín area and the Monterrei valley. It reaches Xinzo through its role as a natural boundary and through the press that bore its name.

Links

• Waters of A Limia
• The Limia river
• Nature of A Limia
• Xinzo de Limia