Nervión (; ) is a river that runs through the town of
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea (
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
). Its lowermost course, downstream of its confluence with the
Ibaizabal River, is known as the
Estuary of Bilbao.
Geography
The river is long from its source at the
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...
and
Alava provincial limits to the sea and runs in a South to North direction. Soon after its source, the river forms a spectacular waterfall in the
Delika canyon (
Alava) and then enters the
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
province through the city of
Orduña. This waterfall is the largest in Spain with its 222 metres. It re-enters Alava through the towns of
Amurrio
Amurrio is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the northwest part of the province of Álava, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. It has over 10,000 inhabitants. It is between Vitori ...
and
Llodio. The river then runs back into Biscay province and out to the
Cantabrian sea, entering the
Bilbao metropolitan area
The Bilbao Metropolitan Area (in Basque language, Basque: ''Bilbo Handia'', in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Área metropolitana de Bilbao'') is the metropolitan area or continuous urban area based around the city of Bilbao, in the Basque Country ...
at
Ugao-Miraballes. The
tidal influence reaches inland from the sea, in Bilbao's old town.
The main
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
are:
* From the west: ''
Cadagua'' and ''Galindo''.
* From the east: ''Arratia'', ''
Ibaizabal'' and ''Asua''.
The Ibaizabal is considered by some to be an equally important river, so the whole system is often called Nervión-Ibaizabal and the final tract just "''Estuary of Bilbao''". The basin area is .
Naming
Despite its current popularity in
Spanish, the traditional name of the stretch between the estuary and
Basauri
Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.
The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. ...
, where the
Ibaizabal and Nervión merge, is ''Ibaizabal'' (meaning 'wide river' in
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
), according to historical evidence traced from the eleventh century up to the twentieth.
Charles Frederick Henningsen, who travelled across the
Basque Country during the
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...
, calls the river in Bilbao the Ibaizabal. The literary writer from
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) as well as former mayor of Bilbao Javier Ybarra (1913–1977) refer to it as the Ibaizabal. Geological and hydrological data also seem to support this assumption.
History and economy
Since ancient times, the
Orduña pass that links Spain's inner
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
with the Nervión valley has had a great economic impact. During the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
it served as a natural border between the Biscay lordship and Castile counties, and tolls were collected there.
Through the centuries, the Nervión valley was a vital communication corridor for Biscay, and the main rail line from Bilbao to the rest of Spain was constructed following the river in 1870.
At the same time, Bilbao developed great commercial activity, with its
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
being the most important on the north coast of Spain. The port's activity relied totally on the navigability of the river in its final .
Engineer
Evaristo Churruca developed an enormous project that would solve the traditional navigation problems of the river.
The estuary divided the population of
Greater Bilbao
Greater Bilbao (Basque language, Basque: ''Bilboaldea'', Spanish language, Spanish: ''Gran Bilbao'') is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the se ...
; the
Left Bank
In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water.
Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography.
In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...
was occupied by factories (steel, smelting and shipbuilding) and their workers, the
Right Bank
In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water.
Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography.
In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...
was a residential area for the factory owners.
Now that the River Nervión has lost economic importance, the navigable part of the river is being abandoned in favour of the sea port, to allow urban development to take place on the banks of the river after the withdrawal of heavy industry.
The quality of the water has improved through sanitization projects on the river and the disappearance of the most polluting industries.
Environment
After a century of intense industrial activity the river, especially the final , was ecologically dead with
oxygen
Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
levels 20 percent below the norm. This made the Nervión one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In 1990 the local authorities launched a plan to overcome this situation, resulting in a constant improvement of the environmental status that after 15 years has transformed the Nervión in to a clean river, full of aquatic life.
See also
*
List of rivers of Spain
This is an incomplete list of rivers that are at least partially in Spain. The rivers flowing into the sea are sorted along the coast. Rivers flowing into other rivers are listed by the rivers they flow into. Rivers in the mainland Iberian Peninsu ...
References
External links
Greater Bilbao Water AuthorityEstuary of Bilbao Maritime Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nervion
Geography of Bilbao
Rivers of Biscay
Rivers of the Basque Country (autonomous community)
Rivers of Álava
Estuary of Bilbao
Rivers of Spain