The Tiétar is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

located in 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 ...

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 ...

. It originates in the municipality of Rozas de Puerto Real, at the eastern end of the

Sierra de Gredos The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in central Spain that spans the provinces of Ávila, Spain, Ávila, Salamanca, Spain, Salamanca, Cáceres, Spain, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo, Spain, Toledo. It is part of the much larger Sistema Central o ...

, a mountain range from which it receives numerous tributaries. The river flows through the provinces of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Ávila Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...

, Toledo, and Cáceres, ultimately emptying into the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

Monfragüe Monfragüe ( Spanish: ''Parque Nacional de Monfragüe'', or simply ''Monfragüe'' ) is a Spanish national park noted for its bird-life. It is situated in the center of a triangle formed by Plasencia, Trujillo and the city of Cáceres within ...

.Rivers in Spain
in

INE (Spain) The (INE; ) is the official government List of agencies in Spain, agency in Spain that collects statistics about Spain#Demographics, demography, the Economy of Spain, economy, and Spanish society. It is an autonomous organization responsible fo ...

Hydronymy

According to Chavarría Vargas and Martínez Enamorado, the

hydronym A hydronym (from , , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a subset of top ...

"Tiétar" is of uncertain origin. They mention the possibility of a pre-Latin term ''Těttare'', potentially connected to the Indo-European root teter- (commonly used for various types of gallinaceous birds). They consider a Latin origin (from the adjective ''tětter'': "dark," "gloomy") to be less likely. The first appearance of the hydronym in Christian written sources dates back to 1189; however, its first mention in Arabic chronicles could have occurred around the 10th century with a transliterated form such as ''Tāt.r''.

Course

The Tiétar River begins at a place called La Venta del Cojo, in the municipality of Rozas de Puerto Real, where various springs, gorges, and streams feed its course until it reaches the Monfragüe National Park. The river subsequently flows through the municipalities of Santa María del Tiétar, Sotillo de la Adrada, La Adrada, Piedralaves, Casavieja, Mijares, Gavilanes, Pedro Bernardo, Lanzahíta,

Arenas de San Pedro Arenas de San Pedro is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2006 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 6,682 inhabitants. Its seal Seal may refer to any of the following: ...

, and Candeleda in the province of

; through La Iglesuela del Tiétar, Sartajada, Buenaventura, Parrillas, Navalcán, Oropesa, Lagartera, and La Calzada de Oropesa in the province of Toledo; and through the region of

La Vera La Vera is a comarca (county, but with no administrative role) in Extremadura, western Spain. The largest town is Jaraíz de la Vera Jaraíz de la Vera () is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. According to t ...

in Cáceres. In the Cáceres section of its course, it flows between the regions of La Vera and Campo Arañuelo, areas of great agricultural value. The river empties into the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

in the Monfragüe National Park after nearly 150 km, near Villarreal de San Carlos. Its mouth into the Tagus has a variable width, depending on the water levels of the reservoirs in the latter river. Near its mouth, the Tiétar cuts through a small mountain range to reach the Tagus, dividing it into the Sierra de Santa Catalina and the Sierra de la Urraca, a favorable location utilized for the construction of the dam that exists there. Its main tributaries are the Guadyerbas River and other gorges and streams that originate in the

of the Central System and the Sierra de San Vicente. Its hydrological regime is pluvio-nival, with a maximum flow in winter (rain) and spring (snowmelt), and a marked minimum in summer.

References

External links

Monfragüe National Park
Rivers of Spain Rivers of Castile and León Tributaries of the Tagus Geography of the Province of Ávila Geography of the Province of Toledo Geography of the Province of Cáceres Rivers of Castilla–La Mancha Rivers of Extremadura {{Spain-river-stub

Hydronymy

Course

See also

References

External links