The Tagus (/ˈteɪɡəs/ TAY-gəs; Spanish: Tajo [ˈtaxo]; Portuguese: Tejo [ˈtɛʒu]; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows 1,007 km (626 mi), generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.^[1]

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Quick Facts Tagus Tajo (Spanish)Tejo (Portuguese), Etymology ...

Tagus Tajo (Spanish) Tejo (Portuguese)
View of Tagus River in Toledo, Spain
Path of the Tagus through the Iberian Peninsula
Etymology	Vulgar Latin taliāre, "to cut through"
Location
Country	Spain, Portugal
Physical characteristics
Source	Fuente de García, Montes Universales
• location	Frías de Albarracín, Spain
• coordinates	40°19′16″N 1°41′49″W
• elevation	1,593 m (5,226 ft)
Mouth	Estuary of the Tagus, Atlantic Ocean
• location	Lisbon, Portugal
• coordinates	38°41′28″N 9°10′16″W
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	1,007 km (626 mi)
Basin size	80,100 km2 (30,900 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	500 m3/s (18,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Guadiela, Algodor, Gévalo, Ibor, Almonte, Salor, Sever
• right	Gallo, Jarama, Guadarrama, Alberche, Tiétar, Alagón, Zêzere

Close

The river's Latin name is Tagus. While the etymology is unclear, the most probable etymological origin for the hydronym Tagus is Indo-European *(s)tag- ('to drip').^[2]

The lower Tagus region in Portugal is a seismically active area. Major earthquakes in the Lower Tagus include those of 1309, 1531, and 1909.^[3][4]

The Pepper Wreck, properly the wreck of the Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, is a shipwreck located and excavated at the mouth of the Tagus between 1996 and 2001.^[5]

The Tagus river basin comprises 42 River Nature Reserves ^[es] and is the river basin with the most protected areas in Spain.^{[1]: Prefacio}

• List of rivers of Spain
• List of rivers of Portugal
• Media related to Tagus River at Wikimedia Commons