Ría de Arousa

The Ría de Arousa is a ria, a saline estuary, that forms a firth situated on Galicia, Spain. It is one of the five Rías Baixas. The Ría de Arousa estuary is the largest of the estuaries of Galicia. It is part of the Rias Baixas and is located between the estuary of Muros and Noia to the north and the Pontevedra estuary to the south. The peninsulas of Barbanza, in the province of A Coruña, and O Salnés, in the province of Pontevedra, are those who define their coasts on the north and south, respectively. Ría de Muros and Noia is located in north.

It is the largest estuary, although not reaching the higher levels bathymetric, at 69 m maximum depth at the mouth. It has numerous islands and islets among which the island of Arousa, A Toxa, Sálvora in the mouth and Cortegada at the entrance. The main rivers that flow to it are the Ulla river at its headwaters and the river Umia in the cove that forms the peninsula of O Grove with the coast of Cambados.