Júcar

The Júcar (Spanish: [ˈxukaɾ]) or Xúquer (Valencian: [ˈʃukeɾ]) is a river in Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula. The river runs for approximately 509 km from its source at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, on the eastern flank of the Montes Universales in the Sistema Ibérico. Its most important tributary is the Cabriel.

Júcar River flowing through Cuenca

Location of the Júcar River

The Júcar River flows first southward and then eastward through the towns of Cuenca, Alcalá del Júcar, Cofrentes, Alzira, Sueca and Cullera, a town located near its mouth into the Gulf of Valencia in the Mediterranean Sea. It crosses the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete and Valencia.

In 1982, the river Júcar broke the Tous Dam, causing the biggest flood in Spanish history, with a flow speed of 16,000 cubic metres per second, killing more than 30 people. This flood was the most important one in the whole history of Spain because, at that time, the people had thought that the Tous Dam was indestructible. The flood was called La pantanada de Tous.