page_title: Ria
section_title: Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Ria / Locations / Europe
caption_attribution_description: Galego: Imaxe de Galicia dende o espazo Licensing
context_page_description: A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the dendritic drainage pattern of the flooded river valley. The drowning of river valleys along a stretch of coast and formation of rias results in an extremely irregular and indented coastline. Often, there are naturally-occurring islands, which are summits of partly submerged, preexisting hill peaks.
  A ria coast is a coastline having several parallel rias separated by prominent ridges, extending a distance inland. The sea level change that caused the submergence of a river valley may be either eustatic, or isostatic. The result is often a very large estuary at the mouth of a relatively insignificant river. The Kingsbridge Estuary in Devon, England, is an extreme example of a ria forming an estuary disproportionate to the size of its river; no significant river flows into it at all, only a number of small streams.
context_section_description: Portugal: has no rias as such: the Ria de Aveiro in Aveiro, and Ria Formosa in Eastern Algarve are actually lagoons.
  Atlantic coast of Spain
  Galicia:
  The Rias Baixas, including the Ria of Vigo, Ria of Pontevedra, Ria de Arousa, Ria of Muros and Noia, Ria of Corcubion, Cee and Ria de Aldán.
  The Rias Altas, including the Ria of Corunna, Ria of Ares and Betanzos, Ria of Cedeira, Ria of O Barqueiro, Ria of Ferrol, Ria of Ortigueira, Ria of Viveiro, Ria of Foz and Ria of Ribadeo.
  Asturias: Ria of Avilés, Ria of Ribadeo, Ria of Navia, Ria of Villaviciosa, Ria of Ribadesella, Ria of Llanes, Ria of Tina Mayor.
  Cantabria: Ria of Tina Mayor, Ria of Tina Menor, Ría de San Vicente de la Barquera, Ría of la Rabia, Ría of San Martín de la Arena, Ría of Mogro, Ría of Solía, Ría of Carmen, Ría of Boo, Ría of Tijero, Ría of Cubas, Ría de Ajo, Ría of Cabo Quejo, Ría of Treto, Ría of Oriñón.
  Basque Country: Ria of Bilbao, mouth of the rivers Nervión, Ibaizabal, and Cadagua.
  Andalusia: Ria of Carreras, Ria of Huelva at the mouth of the rivers Odiel and Tinto.
  Brittany: The rias in northern Brittany are called Abers: Aber Wrac'h (48.599807°N 4.549376°W), Aber Benoît (48.562747°N 4.579905°W), Aber Ildut (48.472649°N 4.749602°W). The Roadstead of Brest also includes several rias.
  Ireland: Bantry Bay located on the southwest coast of Ireland is an example of an Irish ria.
  Wales: Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire is a ria.
  England: The south coast of England is a submergent coastline which contains many rias, including Southampton Water, Poole Harbour, the estuary of the River Medina on the Isle of Wight, the estuaries of the Exe, Teign and Dart, then Kingsbridge Estuary, Plymouth Sound in Devon, and the estuaries of the River Fowey, River Fal and Helford River in Cornwall. On the north coast is the River Camel and the River Taw. In Essex is the Blackwater River and River Crouch.
  Croatia: Lim, Rijeka Dubrovačka
  Montenegro: The Bay of Kotor
  Italy: The Fiordo di Furore on the Amalfi Coast in Campania is a ria, despite its name.
  Malta: Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour
caption: A satellite view of Galicia
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