Minho
The fourth one in Top 10 Longest Rivers in Portugal that Toplist would like to introduce to you is Minho. With a length of 340 kilometers and a border with Portugal, the Minho or Miño is Galicia's longest river (210 mi). After the Douro, Ebro, and Tagus, it is the fourth river in the Iberian peninsula in terms of discharge.
The Minho is a river that supplies water to vineyards and fields, as well as producing hydroelectric power and defining a stretch of the Spanish–Portuguese boundary. It is known as Minno in old English maps.
The Minho, which has a flow of 102 m3/s, receives the waters of its largest tributary, the Sil, which has a discharge of 184 m3/s, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Ourense at Os Peares. Passing through Ourense, one significant dam is located near Frieira, near Ribadavia, which is known for its Ribeiro DOP wine (called after the name of the region). The Minho has an average discharge of 316 m3/s. Later in its course, the river travels southwest till it reaches the Portuguese border near Melgaço.
After passing through Galicia for 260 kilometers (160 miles), the Minho forms the border with Portugal for another 80 kilometers (50 miles), mostly to the west. The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where the land is used to produce corn, potatoes, cabbage, even kiwi fruit, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and where the vines that produce the light, slightly sparkling "Vinho Verde" and the Ribeiro wine, both unique to this area, are planted everywhere edging the fields, rivers, and gardens, wherever there is space. The best of these wines, known as Albariño in Portuguese and Albario in Spanish and Galician, are made in the Monção, Arbo, and Melgaço areas.
The Minho divides the Spanish Tui and Portuguese Valença do Minho, passing through the medieval villages of Melgaço and Monção and guarding an important road and rail bridge. Both cities are national monuments with fortifications. With an average discharge of 420 m3/s, the Minho reaches the Atlantic between the Galician A Guarda and the Portuguese Caminha.
Length: 350 km (220 mi- shared with Spain)
