River Aisne: River in France, tributary of the Oise

It is a left tributary of the Oise river. It gave its name to the French department of Aisne. It was known in Roman times with its Celtic name of Axona.

Aisne
The Aisne near the village of Soupir
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
- location	Champagne-Ardenne
- coordinates	48°56′44″N 05°10′46″E / 48.94556°N 5.17944°E / 48.94556; 5.17944 (Oise-Aisne)
Mouth
- location	Oise
- coordinates	49°26′1″N 2°50′49″E / 49.43361°N 2.84694°E / 49.43361; 2.84694 (Oise-Aisne)
Length	356 km (221 mi)
Basin size	7,752 km2 (2,993 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	63 m3/s (2,200 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
- left	Ruisseau de l'Étang Neuf, Boue, Ante, Auve, Tourbe, Dormoise, Rémy Galère, Ruisseau des Sugnons, Ruisseau de l'Indre
- right	Orne, Coubreuil, Sougniat, Biesme, Ruisseau du Fossé des Corbeaux, Aire, Ruisseau du Moulin, Ruisseau de Saint-Gourgon, Ruisseau des Ouvions, Ruisseau des Quatorze, Migny, Vaux, Ruisseau de Saint-Fergeux, Miette, Tordoir

The Aisne river has a length of 355.9 km (221.1 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of 7,939 km² (3,065 sq mi).

Course

The source of the Aisne is in the "Forest of Argonne", in the Rembercourt-Sommaisne commune (Meuse), near the border with the Marne department, at an altitude of about 240 m (787 ft). From here, the Aisne flows to the west.

The Aisne river flows through 2 regions and 5 departments. It flows through the following communes, among others:

• Grand Est region
  • Meuse: Vaubecourt, Triaucourt-en-Argonne
  • Marne: Sainte-Menehould
  • Ardennes: Vouziers, Attigny, Rethel, Château-Porcien, Asfeld
• Hauts-de-France region
  • Aisne: Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne, Vailly-sur-Aisne, Soissons, Vic-sur-Aisne
  • Oise: Attichy, Trosly-Breuil, Compiègne

Finally, it flows into the Oise river in the city of Compiègne.

The main tributaries of the Aisne river are:

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 65.40 m³/s (2,310 cu ft/s) at Trosly-Breuil in the Oise department.

Average monthly discharge (m³/s) at Trosly-Breuil (1961 - 2002)

The Aisne shows typical seasonal fluctuations. The highest levels of the river are in winter and spring, from December to May inclusive, with the highest level in February. They are followed by a rapid fall in the flow during the low water period that goes from July to October.

• List of rivers of France