Charente (river) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charente |
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| River | |
 The Charente in Tonnay-Charente
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| Country | France |
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| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Departments | Haute-Vienne, Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime |
| Communes | Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, Jarnac, Tonnay-Charente, Angoulême, Cognac, Tonnay-Charente, Rochefort |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Bonnieure, Né, Seugne |
| - right | Antenne, Boutonne |
| Cities | Angoulême, Cognac, Jarnac, Saintes, Rochefort |
| Source | Chéronnac |
| - location | Massif Central, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France |
| - elevation | 308 m (1,010 ft) |
| - coordinates | 45°45′21″N 0°46′15″E / 45.75583°N 0.77083°E |
| Mouth | Atlantic Ocean |
| - location | Rochefort, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 45°57′15″N 1°04′32″W / 45.95417°N 1.07556°W |
| Length | 381.4 km (237 mi) |
| Basin | 9,855 km² (3,805 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Chaniers |
| - average | 49 m³/s (1,730 cu ft/s) |
The Charente (Saintongeais: Chérente, Occitan: Charanta) is a river in southwestern France that flows through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Two departments, Charente and Charente-Maritime, are named after the river.
It rises in the Massif Central and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Rochefort.
Geography
The Charente river has a length of 381.4 km (237 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 9,855 km2 (3,805 sq mi).
Course
The Charente river starts in western Massif Central, in the commune of Chéronnac, Haute-Vienne department, at an elevation of about 1,380 m (4,528 ft). It flows to the northwest for about 12 km (7 mi) and then flows through the north of the Charente department.
The river keeps flowing to the northwest and gets into the Vienne department. After the commune of Civray, the river turns to the southwest and gets back into the Charente department. After Angoulême, the river turns west and, after Cognac, to the northwest.
Finally, the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Rochefort.
The river is navigable (it is deep, wide and slow enough for a ship to pass), mainly with recreational boats from Angoulême to its mouth.
The Charente flows through 4 departments and 120 communes, all in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region:
- Haute-Vienne: three communes.
- Vienne: ten communes and the cities Charroux and Civray.
- Charente: 78 communes and the cities Gond-Pontouvre, Angoulême, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, Jarnac and Cognac.
- Charente-Maritime: 35 communes and the cities Saintes, Tonnay-Charente et Rochefort.
Main tributaries
The main tributaries of the Charente river are:
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Left tributaries:
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Right tributaries:
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Gallery
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The source of the Charente in Cheronnac
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The Charent in Houmeau, down Angoulême
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The Charente and the Château de Cognac
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Mouth of the Charente
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Río Charente para niños
