Arade River

The Arade (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈɾaðɨ]) 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 river remains navigable from the breakwaters at Portimao to the town of Silves. 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. From the middle-ages 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. The etymology of the name is uncertain, although generally believed to be pre-Roman. It may be derived from a Celtic root, Arate. The term relates to water, and is attributed to the ancient Celtici people who settled in the region. Other theories point to a proto-Germanic or Indo-European root. Based in Middle-ages Latin sources from 1189 AD it was referred to as river Drade; and in 1266 AD as Oidaradi and Widradi, the river located near the settlement of 'Cilpes' (Silves), which is also pre-Roman.