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Dordogne (river) facts for kids

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Dordogne
Dordogne 2.jpg
The Dordogne in Périgord, near Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
MapDordogne.jpg
Location of the Dordogne in France
Native name La Dordogne
Country France
Physical characteristics
Main source Massif Central
1,720 m (5,640 ft)
River mouth Gironde estuary
45°2′29″N 0°36′24″W / 45.04139°N 0.60667°W / 45.04139; -0.60667 (Gironde-Dordogne)
Length 483 km (300 mi)
Basin features
Basin size 23,870 km2 (9,220 sq mi)

The Dordogne (Occitan: [Dordonha] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a river in south-central and southwest France. The Dordogne river and its drainage basin was named as a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO on 11 July 2012.

Geography

The Dordogne has a length of 483 km (300.1 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 23,957 km2 (9,250 sq mi).

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 274 cubic metres per second at Bergerac.

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Bergerac (1958-2011)

Course

La Dordogne
The Dordogne river at Bergerac

The Dordogne starts on the sides of the Puy de Sancy, Massif Central, in the commune of Mont-Dore, Puy-de-Dôme department, at an elevation of about 1,380 m (4,528 ft).

It flows generally west through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the Dordogne department before flowing into the Gironde where it joins, in the north of the city of Bordeaux, the Garonne river to form the Gironde estuary, at about 1 m (3 ft) of altitude.

The Dordogne flows through 4 regions, 6 departments and 173 communes. The main communes are:

Main tributaries

The main tributaries (more than 50 km long) of the Dordogne river are:

Gallery

Related pages

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Río Dordoña para niños

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