The River Rhône (Latin Rhodanus, French Rhône, Occitan Rose, German Rotten) is one of the major rivers (ca. 800 km [500 miles] long) of Europe, running through Switzerland and France.

Course

It rises near the Rhône glacier in Valais, Switzerland, in the Saint-Gotthard massif, at an altitude of 1753 m.

Up to Martigny, the Rhône is a torrent, and then becomes a great mountain river running SW through a glacier valley. Then, it turns NW to exit the Alps and flows west through Lake Geneva (French Lac Leman) before entering France.

View over the Rhône, looking downstream from the end of the Pont de Beaucaire, with a view of a sign, the river, and the railway bridge.

View over the Rhône, looking downstream from the Pont de Beaucaire, with a view of the tree-covered island in the centre of the river, and the railway bridge.

View over the Rhône, looking upstream from the Pont de Beaucaire, with a view of Beaucaire Castle.

It is joined by the river Saône at Lyon, before going south.

At Arles, the Rhône divides itself in two arms, forming the Camargue delta, with all branches flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. One arm is called the "Grand Rhône", the other one is the "Petit Rhône".

Tributaries

• Arve River (L)
• Ain River (R)
• Saône (R)
• Isère River (L)
• Drôme River (L)
• Ardèche River (R)
• Gard River (R)
• Durance River (L)

Power & speed

Though not the longest, the Rhône is the fastest and most powerful river in France.

An average of 1800 m³/s of water pours into the Mediterranean at its delta. This puts it at number 48 in the world ranking. However, heavy rain can cause the river to swell to dangerous proportions. For example, the rate was 11,000 m³/s at Beaucaire in January 1994.

Along the Rhône

Cities and towns along the river Rhône include:

Switzerland

• Brig (Valais)
• Sion (Valais)
• see Lake Geneva for a list of Swiss and French towns around the lake
• Geneva (Geneva)

France

• Lyon (Rhône)
• Vienne (Isère)
• Valence (Drôme)
• Avignon (Vaucluse)
• Beaucaire (Gard)
• Tarascon (opposite Beaucaire) (Bouches-du-Rhône)
• Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône)

See also

• Rhône (département)
• Rhône (wine region)

External link

• Waterways in France (http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_waterways.shtml)
  

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