Durance: Major river in southeastern France
The Durance (Occitan: Durença) is a river in southeastern France, a left tributary of the Rhône river.
It is the longest river in Metropolitan France without a department named after it.
| Durance | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Durance south of Cavaillon with the LGV Méditerranée viaduct | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Cottian Alps |
| - elevation | 2,300 m (7,500 ft) |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Rhône |
| - coordinates | 43°55′21″N 4°44′35″E / 43.92250°N 4.74306°E |
| Length | 323 km (201 mi) |
| Basin size | 14,472 km2 (5,588 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 188 m3/s (6,600 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Rhône→ Mediterranean Sea |
Geography
The Durance river has a length of 320.9 km (199 mi) and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 14,342 km2 (5,537 sq mi).
Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 175 m3/s (6,200 cu ft/s) at Saint-Paul-lès-Durance in the Bouches-du-Rhône department at an altitude of 247 m (810 ft), for a period of 95 years.
Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Saint-Paul-lès-Durance
Course
The Durance starts in the pré de Gondran ("meadow of Gondran"), on the east side of the Sommet des Anges mountain, in the commune of Montgenèvre (a ski resort near Briançon), Hautes-Alpes department, at an elevation of about 2,325 m (7,628 ft). It then flows to the southwest through the departments of Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône.
Finally, the river flows into the Rhône river, as a left tributary, south of the city of Avignon.
The Durance only flows through two departments: Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; it forms the border between two other departments but it does not flow through them: Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône. It flows through the Var department only for a short distance.
It flows through the following communes, among others:
Main tributaries
The main tributaries of the Durance river are:
| Left tributaries:
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| Right tributaries:
|
Gallery
Related pages
References
Other websites
- Val de Durance Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- Mixed syndicate working on the valley of the Durance (in French)
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