Odiel

The Odiel (Spanish: Río Odiel) is a river in the Atlantic basin in southern Spain, more precisely in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It originates at Marimateos in the Sierra de Aracena at an elevation of 660 metres (2,170 ft) above sea level. At the Punta del Sebo, it joins the Rio Tinto to form the Huelva Estuary. Its principal tributaries are the Escalada, Meca, Olivargas, Oraque, Santa Eulalia, and El Villar. Its basin covers 990 square kilometres (380 sq mi).

Odiel River
View of the Odiel River
Location
Country	Spain
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Sierra de Aracena
• elevation	660 metres (2,170 ft)
Mouth
• location	Huelva Estuary
• elevation	0 metres (0 ft)
Basin size	Tinto - Odiel

Rivers of Andalusia. The Odiel is near the left, between the Guadiana (along the Portuguese border) and the Rio Tinto.

Hydrographic map of the province of Huelva. The Odiel is somewhat left of center, running roughly north-south.

In Roman times it was known as the Luxia.[1] Even before the Romans, its mouth was an important place of commerce, as can be seen by archaeological remnants from Phoenicians and Ancient Greeks, known as the "Huelva Estuary Deposit" (Spanish: Depósito de la Ría de Huelva), dated 1000 BCE.[2]

See also

• List of rivers of Spain

Notes

1. Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, Orbis Latinus, 2nd ed. Berlin: Schmidt / New York: Steiger, 1909, OCLC 1301238 (in German) (online).
2. Depósito de la ría Archived 2010-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, Arte e historia. Accessed online 2009-12-24.