The Zêzere () 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 ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, tributary to 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 ...

. It rises in the

Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela (, ) is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portuga ...

, near the '' Torre'', the highest point of continental Portugal. The Zêzere runs through the town

Manteigas Manteigas () is a town and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,430, in an area of . The municipality is located in Guarda District; in Centro Region and Beira Interior Norte Subregion. It is located in the Serra da Estrela Mou ...

, runs through Belmonte, passes south of the city of

Covilhã Covilhã (), officially Covilhã City (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in the Centro, Portugal, Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 33,691 inhabitants in 2021. The municipality population in 2021 was 46,455 in an area of . It is ...

and east of the town of Pedrogão Grande. It flows into the Tagus in

Constância Constância () is a municipality in Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,056, in an area of 80.37 km². Conquered from the Moors in 1150, it was given the status of 'town' in 1571 through a charter from King Sebastia ...

. It is the second longest river entirely within Portuguese territory (the Mondego being the longest). Its slope allows for the hydroelectric powerplants of Cabril, Bouçã and Castelo de Bode.

Dams and Reservoirs

Beginning at the headwaters, there are 3 dams on the Zêzere:

References

Rivers of Portugal Tributaries of the Tagus Ramsar sites in Portugal {{Portugal-river-stub