The Oria is a river in the
Basque Country
Basque Country may refer to:
* Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map)
* French Basque Country o ...
at the north of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
. It's one of a series of Basque rivers flowing into the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
(
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
basin) and the main river of the province
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
in volume (25.6 m
3/s), length (75 km) and basin (882.5 km
2), the main feature of these rivers aligned south to north being their shortness. The maximum elevation at the source is 1,260 m, while at its lowest height the tidal influence extends inland up to
Usurbil
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, population_density_km2 = auto
, blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s)
, blank_info_sec1 = BasqueSpanish
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
(estuary). On this final stretch, many marsh and wetland strips dotted the banks of the Oria, although some of them have been drained for agricultural and building purposes.
The river rises at the south of the municipality of
Zegama near the hamlet of ''Otzaurte'' and the
San Adrian tunnel, harvesting the waters of the north-eastern side of the mountain range
Aizkorri, so the river results from the merging of several streams. The first town it crosses is the very nucleus of
Zegama, with other major towns of
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
being located on the river, e.g.
Beasain
Beasain is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. It has an important industry of railway vehicles and related equipment ( CAF) that ...
,
Ordizia,
Tolosa,
Andoain
Andoain is a town in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in the North of Spain. Nowadays it has a population of 14,637 inhabitants (2019), which has been quite stable sin ...
,
Lasarte-Oria,
Usurbil
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, population_density_km2 = auto
, blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s)
, blank_info_sec1 = BasqueSpanish
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and finally
Orio
Orio may refer to:
People
Notable people with this name include: Surname
* Baltasar de Echave Orio (late 16th century – mid-17th century), Basque Spanish painter
* Shane Orio (born 1980), Belizean football player Given name
* Orio Mastropiero ( ...
at the mouth. From
Lasarte-Oria to
Orio
Orio may refer to:
People
Notable people with this name include: Surname
* Baltasar de Echave Orio (late 16th century – mid-17th century), Basque Spanish painter
* Shane Orio (born 1980), Belizean football player Given name
* Orio Mastropiero ( ...
, the sinuous and traffic laden coastal road N-634 winds along.
The Oria is a central river and an important axis for the province of
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
. The major road A-1 (European route E-5 E-80) runs along the Oria most of the time, as well as the Spanish Northern Railway, right from its rise on the slopes of
Aizkorri. Its watershed holds a population of 128,000 inhabitants, most of the lowland being heavily inhabited, while the area of its southernmost stretch is sparsely populated.
Environmental condition and fauna
The banks of the river were intensely industrialized starting in the middle of the 19th century and later; the river grew conspicuously polluted up to the 1980s, with almost all its river fauna becoming extinct. At that point, its environmental situation began to revert, the river showing currently a healthy condition. There exists an unstable
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
population downstream of Andoain, while other fish prevail and remain steady, i.e. ''
Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...
'' such as
barbel (''Barbus graellsi''), ''ezkailu'' (''
Phoxinus phoxinus'') and ray-finned fish (''
Chondrostoma toxostoma arrigonis''). A stretch of the estuary by the village ''Aginaga'' is known for its baby eels, bred and harvested for human consumption before they grow up, providing for a much appreciated and dearly paid delicacy, while they were totally neglected just some decades ago.
Main tributaries
There are several streams and small rivers flowing into the Oria. The main tributaries are
Leitzaran
The Leitzaran (, or Leizarán in Spanish) is a river and a valley in the Navarre and the Basque Country (Spain). It flows into the river Oria from its right.
Its source is in the Leitza municipality in Navarre, and it is long. It enters i ...
in
Andoain
Andoain is a town in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in the North of Spain. Nowadays it has a population of 14,637 inhabitants (2019), which has been quite stable sin ...
and
Araxes
, az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras
The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan excl ...
in
Tolosa.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oria (River)
Rivers of the Basque Country (autonomous community)
Gipuzkoa
Rivers of Spain