The Esla is a river in the provinces of León and Zamora in the northwest of

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") , ...

. It is a tributary of the Duero River that starts in the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

and is long. Its direction of flow is from north to south. It is the largest tributary of the Duero in terms of discharge; in fact, at its mouth at the confluence with the Duero, it has a greater discharge than the volume in the main river. The most official source of the river is the “Fuente del Naranco” in Valdosín (near La Uña in León province).Atlas de España (1992). El Pais. Aguilar S.A. de Ediciones. This river was known as the Astura to the ancient Romans, from which the

Asturian people Asturians ( ast, asturianos) are a Celtic-Romance ethnic group native to the autonomous community of Asturias, in the North-West of the Iberian Peninsula. Culture and society Heritage Asturians are directly descended from the Astures, who wer ...

took their name. They were ancestors of the modern inhabitants of Asturias and León, living on both sides of the Cantabrian Mountains. Many of the toponyms in the area owe their name to the river; for example, Villafalé (''Villa Fértil a orillas del Río Astura''), ''Vega del Esla'', ''Mansilla del Esla'', etc. In the 19th century, the Canal del Esla was built to irrigate the Vega de Toral. In the 1980s, a dam and reservoir project to generate hydroelectric power required the submersion of seven villages along the Esla in León, including Riaño. New villages were built along the reservoir to replace these historic towns. The principal tributaries of the Esla are: * Bernesga River * Cea River *

Órbigo River , name_etymology = , image = Union del Rio Omaña y Rio Luna.JPG , image_size = 250px , image_caption = The union of the rivers Luna and Omaña at this point form the Órbigo river , map = Órbigo ...

* Porma River *

Tera River The Tera is a river in the north of Spain, a tributary of the River Esla. It is of ecological importance, being the home of 24 species of the European Union Nature Directives. ''Riberas del Río Tera y afluentes'' was designated a Special Area ...

Aliste River Aliste may refer to several municipalities in ''comarca'' of Aliste, in the Zamora province of northern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto ...

References

{{authority control Rivers of Spain Esla Tributaries of the Douro River Esla (river)

See also

References