The river was named after a famous Laconian king, father of the eponymous princess, Sparta. Lacking a male heir, Evrotas bequeathed his kingdom to the demi-god Lacedaemon son of Zeus from the Pleiad Taygeti who gave it the name of his queen. The river and its mythical background illustrate the strong interconnection of the natural elements in the area, inspiring awe and respect to modern travellers as they did to ancient ones. Running a total distance of 82 kilometres, it flows into the Laconic Gulf.
The river delta, a listed wetland which belongs to the Natura Network, covers an area of more than 1.8 square kilometres and consists of two smaller, individual wetlands: the swamp of Asterios, and Vivari Lagoon. A significant number of aquatic and semi-aquatic birds many of them birds of prey find refuge here to feed, reproduce and rest from their perpetual migratory circle. In this model ecosystem, aquatic plants, towering trees and dense reeds thrive to provide an ideal habitat for all endemic and migratory species. The human inhabitants, on the other hand, have always had to fight the liquid element in their constant battle for survival and improvement of their living conditions. As it still happens today, heavy winters saw Evrotas overflow and swell to its life-threatening magnificence, as the weather worsened and the risk for human lives grew.
Life, however, had to go on: with the aid of sturdy wooden sticks, or by constructing makeshift wooden bridges, the most courageous among the locals made it to the opposite side to exchange goods and communicate with the neighbouring settlements. Yielding under the burden of the centuries, ancient stone bridges were replaced, in the historical era, by Roman bridges with multiple arches. These in turn gave way to heavier, single-arched structures, which stood in place until the beginning of the 20th century, when the locally famous metal bridge was built at the village of Skala. A long-anticipated landmark for the inhabitants of the wider area, the bridge was built following highly sophisticated methods of the time, finally providing an adequate and steady connection between the producing areas and the commercial routes of the country.
