Ain (river) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ain
Course of the Ain.
Native name	En
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Main source	Jura mountains ± 700 m (2,300 ft) 46°44′58″N 6°1′24″E / 46.74944°N 6.02333°E / 46.74944; 6.02333 (source Ain)
River mouth	Rhône 45°47′45″N 5°10′10″E / 45.79583°N 5.16944°E / 45.79583; 5.16944 (Rhône-Ain)
Length	190 km (120 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Rhône→ Mediterranean Sea
Basin size	3,630 km2 (1,400 sq mi)

The Ain (in Franco-Provençal: En) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône river. It gave its name to the French department of Ain.

Geography

The Ain river has a length of 190 km (118.1 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of 3,765 km² (1,454 sq mi).

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 121 m³/s (4,300 cu ft/s) at Chazey-sur-Ain in the Ain department.

Course

The source of the Ain is a karst spring (a spring that is part of a karst system) in the Jura mountains, between the Conte an the La Favière communes (Jura department), at an altitude of about 680 m (2,231 ft). From here, the Ain flows to the south.

The Ain river flows through 2 regions, 2 departments and 66 communes. It flows through the following communes, among others:

• Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region
  • Jura: Sirod, Syam, Champagnole, Crotenay, Pont-de-Poitte, Moirans-en-Montagne, Thoirette
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
  • Ain: Poncin, Neuville-sur-Ain, Pont-d'Ain, Priay, Châtillon-la-Palud, Chazey-sur-Ain, Saint-Jean-de-Niost, Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens

Finally, it flows into the Rhône river in the commune of Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, on the border with the Isère department.

Main tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ain river are:

Gallery

Related pages

• List of rivers of France

Images for kids

• 

  Salins-les-Bains in the glaciated landscape of the upper Ain.

• 

  Source of the Ain

• 

  The Cize–Bolozon viaduct, a road–rail bridge crossing the Ain gorge.

• 

  The Gorges de l'Ain at Corveissiat

• 

  The dam (barrage) at Cize-Bolozon

See also

In Spanish: Río Ain para niños