The Guadalevín is a tributary of the river Guadiaro in

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its gorge divides the city of

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

where it is spanned by three bridges, ''

Puente Nuevo The ''Puente Nuevo'' (, "New Bridge") is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the chasm that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda, in southern Spain. Completed in 1793, the architect was José Martin de Aldeh ...

'', ''

Puente Viejo ''Puente Viejo'' (, "Old Bridge") is the second oldest and second lowest of the three bridges that span the deep chasm that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda in southern Spain. Despite its name ('Old bridge'), it is new ...

'' and '' Puente Romano''. The following is a translation of the Spanish Wikipedia article on the Guadalevin. The Guadalevín River is a short river in the south of Spain (Andalusia) that runs entirely through the

Serranía de Ronda The Serranía de Ronda is a comarca in the western part of the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. As is currently (as of 2009) the norm in Andalusia, it has no formal status. The 2007 Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia, unlike its 1981 predecess ...

, west of the province of

, Spain. It originates in the

Sierra de las Nieves Sierra de las Nieves is a mountain range of the Penibaetic System in Málaga Province, Andalusia, Spain with its highest point being La Torrecilla (1,919 m) Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area, the ''comarca''. The S ...

, in the municipality of

Igualeja Igualeja is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is situated in the west of province in Valle del Genal. It belongs to the comarca of Serranía de Ronda. The munici ...

, and ends at the Guadiaro river; it is thus in the Mediterranean basins of Andalusia and belongs to its hydrological demarcation. Almost all of its course has been declared a Special Conservation Zone (ZEC). Its name comes from the Arabic “Wadi-al-Laban” (river of milk).

Course

The headwaters of the Guadalevín river is located in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, specifically in the Cañada del Cuerno, the nucleus of the Pinsapar de Ronda. Downstream, the Fuenfría arroyo joins it and it receives contributions from the Oreganal mountain range, including the Malillo spring. From there it is also called the Rio Grande. Subsequently, it passes through the city of

where it sculpts its famous Tajo George and enters the Ronda plateau under the name of Guadalevín. In the area of La Indiana it meets the Guadalcobacín river, formed among others by the Ventilla arroyo, a turbulent course that flows through a river gorge with remarkable geodiversity in the municipality of Arriate. The juncture of the Guadalevín and Guadalcobacín marks the point where the start of the Guadiaro river is generally considered to be located, although some authors assert that it happens a few kilometers below, when the uadaresriver joins it from the Cueva del Gato. The Guadalevín River zone is made up of gypsum marl, sandstone and limestone.

Flora

The vegetation of the area presents characteristics typical of the lower Mesomediterranean and Thermomediterranean geological series of Ronda, Malacitano-Almijarense, Alpujarreña, Almería-Western and Manchego-Espunense Mesotrogerian, Juarez-Almería-Edafo-Hygrophilic Geoseries.

Fauna

The characteristic fauna of the area is typical of the riverside, among which are the otter, the leper turtle and the Guadiana vogue. There are also some invertebrates such as crayfish, odonates and the black cork oak spider, which is an endemism from the south of the Iberian peninsula. Also there are species of fish like the marine lamprey, tusk, the gypsy barbel, the Málaga chub, the eel; different amphibians such as the southern pintopod sapillo or the salamander subspecies that extends south of the Guadalquivir; and birds such as the blackbird, kingfisher and various species of birds of prey.1

Course

Flora

Fauna

See also