The Ulla (río Ulla in Galician and Spanish) is a river in Galicia, Spain.

Ulla River
River Ulla
Map of the Río Ulla river basin
Native nameRío Ulla (Galician)
Location
CountrySpain
StateGalicia (Spain)
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationMontes da Vacaloura, Monterroso, Province of Lugo
 • coordinates42.745, -7.82
 • elevation570 m
MouthRía de Arousa estuary
 • location
near Catoira, Spain
 • coordinates
42.67, -8.73
 • elevation
sea level
Length132 km (82 mi)
Basin size2,800 km2 (1,100 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average79.3[1] m3/s (2,800 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftArnego, Deza, Liñares, Vea, Valga, Louro
 • rightPambre, Furelos, Beseña, Iso, Lañas, Brandelos, Santa Lucía, Sar

Its source is sometimes given as Antas de Ulla and sometimes the neighbouring municipality of Monterroso. It flows to the Ría de Arosa estuary near the city of Catoira, Spain. Its basin is the largest in Galicia after the Minho River. Tributaries include the rivers Deza and Arnego.

The river is also valued by archaeologists owing to the large number of artifacts, dating as far back as the Neolithic, discovered here. The outlet of the Ulla River and the mouth of the estuary, called Ría de Arousa, are the two sites where archaeologists have discovered remains consistently. Rock carvings have been discovered here. The Ulla River is also important because it is the river in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula to produce a large number of watery hoards, which were discovered in its lower reaches and its mouth.

Etymology

edit

According to E. Bascuas, "Ulla" is a form belonging to the old European hydronymy, and derived from the Indoeuropean root *wel- 'wheel, rotate'. This toponym is registered in 906 as "(fluvius) Volia", which had derived from a previous form *Wulia.[2]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Río Barja, Francisco Javier; Rodríguez Lestegas, Francisco (1992). Os rios galegos : morfoloxia e rexime. Santiago de Compostela: Consello da cultura galega. p. 324. ISBN 8487172768.
  2. ^ Cf. p. 541 of "La Hidronimia de Galicia: tres estratos ..". http://www.mondonedoferrol.org/estudios-mindonienses/MINDONIENSES%2024%20[protegido].pdf
edit