Tirso (river)
river in Italy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tirso (Sardinian: Tirsu) is the most important river of Sardinia for its length and the size of its drainage basin. It starts on the mountains of the centre of the island and ends in the Mediterranean Sea.
| Tirso Tirsu | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Punta Pianedda (Buddusò) plateau |
| - elevation | 985 m (3,232 ft) |
| Mouth | Mediterranean Sea |
| - location | Gulf of Oristano |
| - coordinates | 39.885°N 8.54056°E |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 152 km (94 mi) |
| Basin size | 3,375 km2 (1,303 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 4.28 m3/s (151 cu ft/s) |
The river was known in Sardinia as riu de Aristanis ("river of Oristano") or, simply, riu Mannu (the "big river"). The name Tirso began to be used in modern times following Ptolemy that named it in ancient times as "Thyrsos" (Greek: Tyrsou potamoũ ekbolái, "mouth of the Tirso river").[1]
The Tirso river has a length of 159 km (99 mi),[2] and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 3,376 km2 (1,303 sq mi).[3]
Its discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) depends of the season; its average discharge is 16.6 m3/s (590 cu ft/s) but is very low during summer.[3]
Course
The Tirso river starts in the Buddusò plateau, on the slopes of Punta Pianedda, at an elevation of about 985 m (3,232 ft), to the north of the comune of Bitti. From here, the river flows to the southwest.
Finally, after 150 km (93 mi), it flows into the Gulf of Oristano in the Sea of Sardinia (Mediterranean Sea). The river enters the sea at about 6 km (3.7 mi) to the north of the city of Oristano.[3]
The river forms the "Omodeo lake", an artificial lake that is 20 km (12 mi) long and 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; it is one of largest artificial lake in Italy.
Most tributaries of the Tirso are small streams; the main tributaries are:[2]
- Taloro, the main tributary, 67.61 km (42.01 mi) long and a drainage basin of 495.02 km2 (191 sq mi); and
- Massari, the second largest tributary, 37.78 km (23.48 mi) long and a drainage basin of 833.73 km2 (322 sq mi).
Both rivers are left tributaries of the Tirso.
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