Alcantara (river)
| Alcantara | |
|---|---|
The Alcantara during a 2003 flood | |
Location of the Alcantara in Sicily | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Monti Nebrodi (Commune of Floresta, Province of Messina) |
| • elevation | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Mouth | Ionian Sea |
• location | Capo Schiso (Commune of Giardini-Naxos, Province of Messina) |
• coordinates | 37°48′27″N 15°15′27″E / 37.8076°N 15.2575°E |
| Length | 52 km (32 mi) |
| Basin size | 573 km2 (221 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 2.41 m3/s (85 cu ft/s) |
The Alcantara (Italian: [alˈkantara]; Sicilian: Arcàntara or Càntara) is a river in Sicily, Southern Italy. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos. The river is 52 kilometres (32 mi) long.
The name Alcantara is of Arabic origin (القنطرة, al-Qanṭarah, 'the Arch') and refers to a bridge from Roman times found by the Arabs. Thucydides called it Acesines (Ancient Greek: Ἀκεσίνης, romanized: Akesínēs) while its Latin names were Assinus, Assinos, Asines, Asinius, Onobala, Onobalas, and Acesines. Cantera was another hydronym for it, adopted by Normans. The river is mentioned by Thucydides on occasion of the attack made on Naxos by the Messenians in 425 BCE.