Loire River Facts for Kids

The Loire River is the longest river in France. It stretches for about 1,013 kilometers (629 miles). This amazing river starts in the Massif Central mountains. It then flows all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, emptying near the city of Nantes. The Loire is so important that it even gives its name to six different areas, called "departments," in France.

For many years, the Loire River was super important for trade and moving goods across France. But in the 1800s, when trains and railways became popular, the river's role in commerce slowly ended.

Loire River: Major Tributaries

A tributary is a smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river. The Loire River has many tributaries joining it along its long journey. Here are some of them, listed from the mouth of the river (where it meets the ocean) going upstream towards its source:

Acheneau (near Le Pellerin)
Sèvre Nantaise (in Nantes)
Erdre (in Nantes)
Layon (in Chalonnes-sur-Loire)
Maine (near Angers)
Mayenne (near Angers)
Sarthe (near Angers)
Loir (near Angers)
Ernée (in Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne)
Braye (in Pont-de-Braye)
Aigre (near Cloyes-sur-le-Loir)
Yerre (near Cloyes-sur-le-Loir)
Conie (near Châteaudun)
Ozanne (in Bonneval)
Huisne (in Le Mans)
Thouet (near Saumur)
Dive (near Saint-Just-sur-Dive)
Losse (near Montreuil-Bellay)
Argenton (near Saint-Martin-de-Sanzay)
Thouaret (near Taizé)
Cébron (near Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet)
Palais (near Parthenay)
Viette (near Parthenay)
Vienne (in Candes-Saint-Martin)
Creuse (north of Châtellerault)
Gartempe (in La Roche-Posay)
Clain (in Châtellerault)
Indre (east of Montsoreau)
Cher (in Villandry)
Sauldre (in Selles-sur-Cher)
Arnon (near Vierzon)
Yèvre (in Vierzon)
Auron (in Bourges)
Beuvron (in Chaumont-sur-Loire)
Loiret (in Orléans)
Allier (near Nevers)
Sioule (near Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule)
Dore (near Puy-Guillaume)
Allagnon (near Jumeaux)
Ance (in Monistrol-d'Allier)
Nièvre (in Nevers)
Acolin (near Decize)
Aron (in Decize)
Besbre (near Dompierre-sur-Besbre)
Arroux (in Digoin)
Furan (in Andrézieux-Bouthéon)

Images for kids

The Loire River at La Charité
The Briare Canal Bridge over the Loire
The historic Château de Gien by the Loire
The Loire River near Sully-sur-Loire
The Loire as it flows through Orléans
The Loire River at Meung-sur-Loire
The beautiful Château de Menars
The city of Blois, located on the Loire
The Loire River near Chaumont
The Loire River at Bréhémont
Candes Saint-Martin, where the Vienne River meets the Loire
The impressive Château de Saumur
The Loire River at Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault
Boats on the Loire River at Le Thoureil
The Loire River at Les Ponts-de-Cé
The bridge and shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, near the Loire's mouth
The source of the Loire River
The river port of Roanne
Where the Allier River joins the Loire
Map of the Loire basin showing its main tributaries
The Loire at Decize
A bridge crossing the Loire at Nantes
Loire at Bréhémont, Indre-et-Loire
Greengage blossom, a fruit grown in the Loire Valley
A European eel (Anguilla anguilla), a fish found in the Loire
A Yellow-bellied toad, an amphibian that lives near the river
A Mediterranean gull, a bird sometimes seen along the Loire
People protesting in 1989 against a proposed dam on the Loire
A beautiful, untouched gorge of the Loire
The Loire as it flows through Blois
An old image showing Vikings invading in 879, possibly along the Loire
Château de Montsoreau (built in 1453) is special because it's the only Château of the Loire Valley built directly in the riverbed.
The city of Orléans on the Loire
An 1840 poster advertising river excursions
The lovely Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
A vineyard in the famous Loire Valley
Sauvignon blanc grapes are used to make famous wines like Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley.
Amboise on the banks of the Loire
The historic Chateau de Langeais
The interior of Château de Blois with different architectural styles
The grand Château de Valençay
Another view of Château de Montsoreau
Scene of the Loire, a painting by J. M. W. Turner
The Source of the Loire, a painting by Gustave Courbet
Portrait of the Loire, by Jean-Max Albert, 1988. This painting is in the Musée de la Loire.
Les Rosiers-sur-Loire by Jean-Jacques Delusse [fr], painted in 1800
The Loire at Montsoreau, painted by J. M. W. Turner in 1832

Loire River facts for kids

Loire River: Major Tributaries

Images for kids

See also