Guadalquivir

This article is about the Guadalquivir River in Spain; for the river of the same name in Bolivia, see Río Nuevo Guadalquivir; for the flamenco rock band, see Guadalquivir (band).

The Guadalquivir [gu̯aðalkiˈβiɾ] is the fifth longest river in Spain (after the Tagus, Ebro, Duero and Guadiana) and the longest in Andalusia, with a length of 657 km. The name comes from the Arabic al-wād al-kabir or Wadi al-Kabir, الوادي الكبير, DMG al-Wādī l-kabīr 'the great valley'. The river was called Baetis (later spelling Betis) from pre-Roman times until the al-Andalus period. It gave its name to the Roman province of Hispania Baetica.

It rises at Cañada de las Fuentes in the Sierra de Cazorla (province of Jaén), runs past Córdoba and Seville and flows into the Gulf of Cádiz at Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The alluvial land at the lower reaches of the river is called Las Marismas. The Guadalquivir also borders the Coto de Doñana nature reserve.

The Guadalquivir is the only navigable river in Spain. Currently, it is navigable up to Seville, even for ocean-going vessels. In Roman times it was navigable as far as Córdoba.

The ancient city of Tartessos is said to have been located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River; its exact location has not yet been determined.

The most important tributaries are the Genil, Guadalbullón and Guadiana Menor.