Ardèche (river) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ardèche
Ardecha
River
The Ardèche river
Country	France
Regions	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie
Departments	Ardèche, Gard
Communes	See list

Tributaries
- left	Ubaye, Verdon
- right	Buëch, Coulon
Cities	Aubenas, Pont-Saint-Esprit


Source	Massif Central
- location	Astet, Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
- elevation	1,430 m (4,692 ft)
- coordinates	44°42′01″N 4°02′40″E / 44.70028°N 4.04444°E / 44.70028; 4.04444
Confluence	Rhône
- location	Pont-Saint-Esprit, Gard, Occitanie, France
- elevation	45 m (148 ft)
- coordinates	44°15′52″N 4°38′52″E / 44.26444°N 4.64778°E / 44.26444; 4.64778

Length	125 km (78 mi)
Basin	2,376 km² (917 sq mi)
Discharge	for Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
- average	64.8 m³/s (2,288 cu ft/s)

The Ardèche (Occitan: Ardecha) is a 125-kilometre (78 mi) long river in south-central France, a right-bank tributary of the River Rhône. The river gives its name to the French department of Ardèche.

Geography
- Course
- Communes
Main tributaries
Gallery
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

Geography

The Ardèche river has a length of 125 km (78 mi) and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 2,376 km² (917 sq mi).

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 64.8 cubic metres per second at Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche in the Gard department.

Course

The Ardèche river starts in the Massif Central, within the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche ("Regional nature park Mountains of Ardèche"), in the commune of Astet (Ardèche department), at an elevation of about 1,430 m (4,692 ft).

It then flows roughly to the southwest and, after the towns of Aubenas and Ruoms, it gets into its famous gorge (or canyon) below Vallon-Pont-d’Arc.

The valley of the Ardèche is very scenic, in particular a 30-kilometre (19 mi) section known as the Ardèche Gorges (or the Canyon of Ardèche). The walls of the river here are limestone cliffs up to 300 metres (980 ft) high. A kayak and camping trip down the gorge is not technically difficult and is very popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural 60-metre (200 ft) stone arch across the river known as the Pont d'Arc.

Finally, the river flows into the Rhône river, on the right side, near the commune Pont-Saint-Esprit, Gard department.