Llobregat (river)

Llobregat
View of the Llobregat River in Olesa de Montserrat
Country	Spain
Physical characteristics
Main source	Serra del Cadí 1,259 m (4,131 ft)
River mouth	Mediterranean Sea 0 m (0 ft) 41°17′53″N 2°08′17″E / 41.29806°N 2.13806°E / 41.29806; 2.13806Coordinates: 41°17′53″N 2°08′17″E / 41.29806°N 2.13806°E / 41.29806; 2.13806
Length	170 km (110 mi)
Discharge	Average rate: 20.77 m3/s (733 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Basin size	4,948.3 km2 (1,910.5 sq mi)
Tributaries	Left: Riera de Merlès, Riera Gavarresa, Riera de Rubí, Riera de Vallvidrera Right: Bastareny, Cardener, Anoia

The Llobregat (Catalan pronunciation: [ʎuβɾəˈɣat]) is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain. Its name could have originated in an ancient Latin word meaning 'dark', 'sorrowful' or 'muddy'.

The Llobregat originates at an elevation of 1,259 metres (4,131 ft) in the Serra del Cadí, within the limits of Castellar de n'Hug municipality, Berguedà comarca. The total length of the river is over 170 kilometres (110 mi). At Martorell, the Roman Via Augusta crosses the river on the impressive Devil's bridge, which dates from the High Middle Ages in its current form. The C-16 highway is also known as the 'Llobregat Axis' (Catalan: Eix del Llobregat) for its largest stretch follows the valley of the Llobregat.

The river ends in the Mediterranean Sea forming the Llobregat Delta, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona. The delta provided a large extension of fertile land close to the city of Barcelona, but is now largely paved, urbanized or covered by infrastructure such as the Barcelona–El Prat Airport.

The Llobregat is heavily managed in its lower course and water that was previously lost to the sea is now pumped upstream to increase the natural flow, recharge the river delta wetlands and control seawater incursion.