Vienne (river) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vienne |
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| Occitan: Vinhana | |
| River | |
 The Vienne in Limoges
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| Country | France |
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| Regions | Centre-Val de Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Departments | Haute-Vienne, Vienne, Creuse, Corrèze, Charente, Indre-et-Loire |
| Communes | Saint-Junien, Confolens, L'Isle-Jourdain, Chauvigny, Chinon |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Briance, Clain |
| - right | Maulde, Taurion, Creuse |
| Cities | Limoges, Châtellerault |
| Source | Plateau de Millevaches |
| - location | Massif Central, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France |
| - elevation | 880 m (2,887 ft) |
| - coordinates | 45°39′44″N 2°5′34″E / 45.66222°N 2.09278°E |
| Confluence | Loire river |
| - location | Candes-Saint-Martin, Centre-Val de Loire, France |
| - elevation | 33 m (108 ft) |
| - coordinates | 47°12′24″N 0°5′3″E / 47.20667°N 0.08417°E |
| Length | 363.2 km (226 mi) |
| Basin | 21,161 km² (8,170 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Candes-Saint-Martin |
| - average | 210 m³/s (7,416 cu ft/s) |
The Vienne (Occitan: Vinhana) is one of the most important rivers in southwestern France, a main left tributary of the lower Loire river. It supports numerous hydroelectric dams.
It flows through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Centre-Val de Loire regions, and two French départements are named after the Vienne: the Haute-Vienne (87) and the Vienne (86).
Geography
The Vienne river has a length of 363.2 km (226 mi) and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 21,161 km2 (8,170 sq mi).
Course
The Vienne river starts in the department of the Corrèze, at the foot of Mont Audouze, on the Plateau de Millevaches, in the commune of Millevaches, at an elevation of about 880 m (2,887 ft).
It then flows roughly west to the city of Limoges where its water was used in the famous Limoges porcelain industry. A little way after Limoges it takes a turn to the north.
Finally, the river flows into the Loire river, on the left side, in the commune Candes-Saint-Martin.
The Vienne flows through 6 departments and 96 communes, in 2 regions:
- Centre-Val de Loire region
- Indre-et-Loire: Chinon, Candes-Saint-Martin
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
- Corrèze: Peyrelevade
- Creuse
- Haute-Vienne: Rempnat, Eymoutiers, Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Limoges, Aixe-sur-Vienne, Saint-Junien
- Charente: Confolens
- Vienne: Chauvigny, Châtellerault
The Vienne flows through three regional nature parks: Parc naturel régional de Millevaches en Limousin, Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin and Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine.
Main tributaries
The main tributaries of the Vienne river are:
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Left tributaries:
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Right tributaries:
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Hydrology
Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 193.0 m3/s (6,820 cu ft/s) at Nouâtre in the Indre-et-Loire department.
Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Nouâtre (1958 - 2017)
Gallery
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The source of Vienne near Saint-Setiers.
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The Vienne near Peyrelevade.
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The Vienne in Chinon.
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The Vienne in Aixe-sur-Vienne (Haute-Vienne).
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Confluence with the Loire river, the Vienne in front.
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Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Río Vienne para niños
