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Ardèche (river) facts for kids

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Ardèche
Ardecha
River
Ardeche.jpg
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 /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

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.

Communes

The Ardèche passes through the following regions, departments and communes:

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ardèche :

Occitanie

Gard :
Aiguèze
Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas
Saint-Paulet-de-Caisson
Pont-Saint-Esprit

Main tributaries

ArdèchePontD'Arc
The Pont d'Arc over the Ardèche river

The main tributaries of the Durance river are:

Gallery

Related pages

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Río Ardèche para niños

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