The river Guadalmina (from the Arabic for "

Wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

(river) of the port") is a short coastal river of the Mediterranean basin in southern Spain that runs entirely within the

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 ...

n province of

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 ...

. Only in length, the Guadalmina rises in the Sierra Bermeja, 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 ...

, but its main course begins below the mountains in the municipality of

Benahavís Benahavís is a Spanish town (pueblo) and municipality in the province of Malaga. It is mountain village between Marbella, Estepona, and Ronda, 7 kilometers from the coast. On the southern face of La Serranía de Ronda mountain range, Benahav� ...

, forming a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

aquifer in an area known as ''Las Angosturas'' (the narrows). The river flows into the municipality of

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the r ...

near San Pedro de Alcántara, and serves to delimit its border from that of the municipality of

Estepona Estepona () is a town and municipality in the comarca of the Costa del Sol, southern Spain. It is located in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its district covers an area of 137 square kilometers in a fertile ...

. The Guadalmina was formerly of defensive strategic importance for the people of Marbella; its waters also served to power

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

s for grinding grain into flour. The La Concepción reservoir is the primary water source for this municipality; it is formed by a diversion dam on the Río Verde, where the waters of the rivers Guadalmina, Guadalmansa and Guadaiza join and are captured, then transported to provide the water supply of the Costa del Sol towns of Benalmadena,

Fuengirola Fuengirola (), in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the pr ...

Mijas Mijas ( ; ) is a municipality in the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Located on the southeastern coast of Spain, Mijas belongs to the region of Costa del Sol Occidental. Its center is a typical Andalusian white ...

, Benahavís, Marbella,

Casares Casares may refer to: Places * Casares, Málaga Casares is a town and municipality in Spain, located in Málaga province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Geography and demography The municipality has a population of 4,051 (male: 2,139 ...

and

Manilva Manilva is a municipality which lies on the coast at the southwesternmost edge of the province of Málaga on its border with the Province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Costa del Sol Oc ...

The lower course of the river is heavily urbanized; many homes there have a high risk of inundation. Near the river's mouth, next to San Pedro de Alcántara, are the important archaeological sites of the early 4th-century Christian church '' Basílica de Vega del Mar'', the 3rd-century vaulted Roman baths of ''Las Bóvedas'' (the Domes) and the eponymous watch tower of ''Torre de Las Bóvedas''.

References

{{Commons category, Guadalmina Rivers of Spain Rivers of Andalusia