Arade River


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, with its source being 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 time of the Moors until the 19th century, the Arade was navigable up to as far as Silves about, where an important port used to exist, especially for the cork trade. Nowadays only small boats can go that far.

Dams

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