Arade River

Arade River
Railway bridge over the Arade at Portimão
Location
Country	Portugal
Region	Algarve
Municipality	Silves, Portimão
Physical characteristics
Source	Serra do Malhão at the gully called Barranco do Pé do Coelho
Mouth	Into the Atlantic at Portimão
Length	75 km (47 mi)

The Arade is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mountain ridge, in a valley called Barranco do Pé do Coelho. The river has a total length of 75.0 kilometres (46.6 mi), with its source being 481 metres (1,578 ft) above sea level. The mouth of the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean between the city of Portimão and the freguesia of Ferragudo, in Lagoa Municipality.

Mouth of the Arade from Portimão

From the time of the Moors until the 19th century, the Arade was navigable up to as far as Silves about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), where an important port used to exist, especially for the cork trade. Nowadays only small boats can go that far.

Barragem do Funcho

Dams

Part of the reason for the present low water flow (and subsequent silting up) of the river has been the erection of two dams in the middle reaches of the river—the Barragem (Dam) de Arade and above it the Barragem do Funcho.