Jump to content

Zêzere River

Coordinates: 39°28′24″N 8°20′21″W / 39.4732°N 8.3393°W / 39.4732; -8.3393
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zêzere
Lago Azul on the Zêzere River, with the bridge between Vila de Rei and Ferreira do Zêzere in the background
Location
CountryPortugal
NUTS IICentro Region, Portugal
TownsManteigas, Belmonte, Constância
Physical characteristics
Sourcenear Cântaro Magro
 • locationSerra da Estrela
 • coordinates40°19′50″N 7°35′49″W / 40.3305°N 7.5970°W / 40.3305; -7.5970
 • elevation1,900 m (6,200 ft)
MouthTagus River
 • location
Constância
 • coordinates
39°28′24″N 8°20′21″W / 39.4732°N 8.3393°W / 39.4732; -8.3393
 • elevation
20 m (66 ft)
Length214 km (133 mi)
Basin size5,043 km2 (1,947 sq mi)
Basin features
ProgressionTagusAtlantic Ocean
Tributaries 
 • rightNabão
Tagus Basin

The Zêzere (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈzezɨɾɨ], Spanish: Cécere [ˈθeθeɾe]) is a river in Portugal, tributary to the Tagus. It rises in the Serra da Estrela, near the Torre, the highest point of continental Portugal. The Zêzere runs through the town Manteigas, runs through Belmonte, passes south of the city of Covilhã and east of the town of Pedrogão Grande. It flows into the Tagus in Constância. 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.

Zêzere seen from the Cabril Dam

Dams and Reservoirs

[edit]

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

Dam Nameplate capacity (MW) Reservoir Surface area Total capacity
km2 sq mi million m3 million cu ft
Cabril 97 Cabril 20.23 7.81 720 25,000
Bouçã 50 Bouçã 5 1.9 48.4 1,710
Castelo de Bode 159 Castelo de Bode 32.91 12.71 1,095 38,700
Designations
Official nameEstrela Mountain upper Plateau and upper Zêzere River
Designated2 December 2005
Reference no.1614[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Estrela Mountain upper Plateau and upper Zêzere River". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.