Charente (river)
The Charente (Saintongeais: Chérente, Occitan: Charanta) is a river in southwestern France that flows through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Two departments, Charente and Charente-Maritime, are named after the river.
| Charente Charanta (Occitan) | |
|---|---|
 The Charente in Tonnay-Charente | |
 The Charente and its main tributaries | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Haute-Vienne |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - coordinates | 45°57′24″N 1°4′56″W |
| Length | 381 km (237 mi) |
| Basin size | 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 40 m3/s (1,400 cu ft/s) |
It rises in the Massif Central and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Rochefort.
Geography
The Charente river has a length of 381.4 km (237 mi),[1] and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 9,855 km2 (3,805 sq mi).
Course
The Charente river starts in western Massif Central, in the commune of Chéronnac, Haute-Vienne department, at an elevation of about 1,380 m (4,528 ft).[2] It flows to the northwest for about 12 km (7 mi) and then flows through the north of the Charente department.
The river keeps flowing to the northwest and gets into the Vienne department. After the commune of Civray, the river turns to the southwest and gets back into the Charente department. After Angoulême, the river turns west and, after Cognac, to the northwest.
Finally, the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Rochefort.[3]
The river is navigable (it is deep, wide and slow enough for a ship to pass), mainly with recreational boats from Angoulême to its mouth.
The Charente flows through 4 departments and 120 communes, all in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region:[1]
- Haute-Vienne: three communes.
- Vienne: ten communes and the cities Charroux and Civray.
- Charente: 78 communes and the cities Gond-Pontouvre, Angoulême, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, Jarnac and Cognac.
- Charente-Maritime: 35 communes and the cities Saintes, Tonnay-Charente et Rochefort.
Main tributaries
The main tributaries of the Charente river are:[1]
|
Left tributaries:
|
Right tributaries:
|
Gallery
The source of the Charente in Cheronnac
The Charent in Houmeau, down Angoulême
The Charente and the Château de Cognac
Mouth of the Charente
Related pages
References
- "La Charente (R---0000)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- "Source de la Charente" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- "Confluence de la Charente" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
Other websites
