Genil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Genil |
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Genil flowing through the city of Granada
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| Country | Spain |
| Region | Andalusia |
| Cities | Granada, Écija |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Sierra Nevada, Granada Province |
| River mouth | Guadalquivir at Sanlúcar de Barameda |
| Length | 358 km (222 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Guadalquivir→ Gulf of Cádiz |
| Basin size | 8,278 km2 (3,196 sq mi) |
The Genil River is an important river in Andalusia, Spain. It's the main river that flows into the Guadalquivir River from the left side. Long ago, the Romans called it Singilis. Later, when the Moorish people lived in Spain, they changed its name to Sinyil, Sannil, or Sinnil, which is where we get the name Genil today.
Contents
Where the Genil River Flows
The Genil River starts high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, not far from Mulhacén, which is the highest peak there. As it flows, the river passes through several towns and cities. These include the famous city of Granada, then Loja, Puente Genil, and Écija. Finally, the Genil River joins the larger Guadalquivir River close to a town called Palma del Río.
Main Rivers Joining the Genil
The Genil River has other rivers that flow into it. Its most important tributary (a smaller river that joins a larger one) is the Darro River. Another river, the Cacín River, also joins the Genil southwest of Villanueva Mesía.
How the Genil River Changed Over Time
The Genil River we see today drains, or carries water away from, the Granada basin. This is a large area of land shaped like a bowl. Millions of years ago, this basin was different.
Ancient River Systems
Between 9 and 5.3 million years ago, the Granada basin was what scientists call an endorheic basin. This means that rivers flowed into a central lake, but no water flowed out of the lake to the sea.
During this time, rivers from the east and southwest flowed into this central lake.
The River's New Path
Later, during a time called the Pliocene epoch, the western part of the basin was drained by a river system called the paleo-Cacín. This ancient river flowed north and then left the basin towards the west.
The eastern part of the basin had its own river system, the Alhambra system (or paleo-Genil system). This system was fed by the mountains to the east and flowed into a small lake in the north.
At some point, the Genil River changed its path. It started flowing west and joined the paleo-Cacín system. This change meant the basin became exorheic, which means its water could now flow out to the sea.
See also
In Spanish: Río Genil para niños
