The Júcar () or Xúquer () is a river in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, on the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
. The river runs for approximately 509 km.
Its source is located at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, in the municipality of
Tragacete, province of Cuenca, on the eastern flank of the
Montes Universales in the
Sistema Ibérico. Its tributaries include the
Cabriel, the
Magro, and the .
The Júcar River flows first southward and then eastward through the towns of
Cuenca,
Alcalá del Júcar,
Cofrentes,
Alzira,
Sueca,
Alarcón and
Cullera, a town located near its mouth into the
Gulf of Valencia in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. It crosses the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete and Valencia.
In 1982, the river Júcar broke the
Tous Dam, causing the biggest
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
in Spanish history, with a flow speed of 16,000 cubic metres per second, killing more than 30 people. This flood was the most important one in the whole history of Spain because, at that time, the people had thought that the Tous Dam was indestructible. The flood was called ''La pantanada de Tous'' (which, in English, would translate something like: ''The Swamp'' ''of Tous'').
See also
*
List of rivers of Spain
*
Rambla del Poyo
References
External links
Confederació Hidrogràfica del XúquerPlataforma Xúquer ViuProjecte de seguiment de la qualitat del Xúquer
Rivers of Spain
Rivers of the Valencian Community
European drainage basins of the Mediterranean Sea
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