Loire River facts for kids

The Loire River is the longest river in France. It is 1,013 km long. It originates in the Massif Central. Its mouth is near Nantes by the Atlantic Ocean. The Loire gives its name to 6 French departments. For years, the Loire was very important for France's commerce. When the railway developed in the 19th century, it put an end to its importance.

Tributaries

The Loire's tributaries include the following rivers, in order going upstream:

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)

The Loire river in ...
La Charité
Pont-canal de Briare
Gien
Sully-sur-Loire
Orléans
Meung-sur-Loire
Menars
Blois
Chaumont
Bréhémont
Candes Saint-Martin
Saumur
Chênehutte
Le Thoureil
Les Ponts-de-Cé
Saint-Nazaire

Images for kids

The Loire as it flows through Blois.
The Vikings invading in 879
Château de Montsoreau (1453) is the only Château of the Loire Valley to be built directly in the Loire riverbed.
Orléans
An 1840 poster advertising excursions on the river
Source
The river port of Roanne
Confluence of the Allier and the Loire

Map of the Loire basin showing the major tributaries

The Loire at Decize
Loire at Bréhémont, Indre-et-Loire
Greengage blossom
European eel (Anguilla anguilla)
Yellow-bellied toad
Mediterranean gull
Loire Vivante WWF protests in 1989 against the proposed Serre de la Fare dam
A pristine gorge of the Loire
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau.
Vineyard in the Loire Valley
Amboise on the banks of the Loire River
Chateau de Langeais
Château de Blois interior façades in Gothic, Renaissance and Classic styles (from right to left).
Château de Valençay.
Château de Montsoreau
Scène of the Loire, by J. M. W. Turner.
La source de la Loire, by Gustave Courbet.
Portrait of the Loire, by Jean-Max Albert, 1988. Musée de la Loire, Cosne-sur-Loire.
The Loire at Montsoreau, J. M. W. Turner, 1832, Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art.