The ''Ría de Arousa'' is a

ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a Drainage system (geomorphology)#Dendritic dr ...

, a saline estuary, that forms a

firth Firth is a word in the English and Scots languages used to denote various coastal waters in the United Kingdom, predominantly within Scotland. In the Northern Isles, it more usually refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to ''fj ...

situated on

Galicia, Spain Galicia (; gl, Galicia or ; es, Galicia}; pt, Galiza) is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and P ...

. It is one of the five ''

Rías Baixas The Rías Baixas ( Galician for "Lower Rias") are a series of four estuarine inlets located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. They are the Ría de Muros e Noia, the Ría de Arousa, the Ría de Pontevedra, and the Ría de Vigo.Mendez ...

''. The Ría de Arousa estuary is the largest of the estuaries of Galicia. It is part of the Rias Baixas and is located between the estuary of Muros and Noia to the north and the

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality whi ...

estuary to the south. The peninsulas of Barbanza, in the province of A Coruña, and O Salnés, in the province of Pontevedra, are those who define their coasts on the north and south, respectively. Ría de Muros and Noia ( es, gl) is located in north. It is the largest estuary, although not reaching the higher levels bathymetric, at 69 m maximum depth at the mouth. It has numerous islands and islets among which the island of Arousa, A Toxa,

Sálvora Sálvora Island ( gl, Illa de Sálvora ; es, Isla de Sálvora ) is a small island located on the Ría de Arousa, coast of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the municipality of Santa Uxía de Ribeira and is integrated in the Atlantic Islands of Galic ...

in the mouth and

Cortegada Cortegada is a municipality in the Ourense, Galicia, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyon ...

at the entrance. The main rivers that flow to it are the Ulla river at its headwaters and the river Umia in the cove that forms the peninsula of

O Grove O Grove (alternative spelling: ''Ogrobe'') is a municipality belonging to the province of Pontevedra, in Galicia, Spain. A peninsula that faces the Atlantic Ocean and the shores of O Salnés valley, enclosed by the southern Galician estuaries ...

with the coast of

Cambados Cambados is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. It is known for its historical monuments, its seafood and the famous white wine, Albariño. Culture Fishing is a major industry in this coastal area of Galicia ...

. The most important river towns are Ribeira, Pobra do Caramiñal, Rianxo and Boiro to the north, and

Vilagarcía de Arousa Vilagarcía de Arousa is a Municipalities of Spain, Spanish municipality in the Province of Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain), Galicia. As of 2014 it has a population of 37,712, being ninth largest town in Galicia. History The present site of Vilaga ...

Vilanova de Arousa Vilanova de Arousa is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, ...

and

to the south, and Arousa in the homonymous

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Zones

The northern zone, corresponding to the province of A Coruña, is relatively steep, with the

Serra da Barbanza The Serra da Barbanza (Spanish: ''Sierra del Barbanza'') is a mountain range in north-west Spain, extending in a south-westerly direction from Noia in Galicia. Geography The range forms the peninsula between the two rias of ría de Muros e Noi ...

near the coast. The beaches take a few metres depth from the shore, forming sand banks in the interior bays. The southern zone, corresponding to the province of Pontevedra, is a flood zone, where the river Umia ends. The characteristic of the coast is shallow, with extensive formation of sand banks, where many arenicolous bivalves are grown like cockles or clams. The most well-known banks of Sarrido belong to the delta of Umia river and Os Lombos do Ulla belonging to the homonymous river delta. This southern area is relatively flat up to the highlands of Mount Castrove, which separates it from the Ría de Pontevedra, and is characterized by small farm plots usually cultivated with vegetables (Padrón peppers, tomato, lettuce and legumes) or grapevines. The grapevines in the O Salnés area is mostly white grape Salnés (varieties Albariño wine). There are also cultivated dark grapes for the production of red wine also known Barrantes. There are also pink grape cultivated with which Catalan wine is made.

Fauna

Its physical configuration allows a high production of phytoplankton, with a characteristic ocean flow that makes this river famous for its rich marine life. It is the area of greatest mussel production in all the world. They are grown in nurseries, cultivated in floating rafts. Whales are starting to reappear along the coasts where once were known for whaling industries.Rey M.. 2017
Confirman o avistamento “histórico” da balea azul na ría de Muros e Noia
GCiencia. Retrieved on September 14, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ria De Arousa Landforms of Galicia (Spain) Estuaries of Spain