Dordogne River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dordogne | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Origin | Massif Central |
| Mouth | Garonne |
| Basin countries | France |
| Length | 490 km |
| Source elevation | 1,720 m |
| Avg. discharge | 450 m³/s |
| Basin area | 23,870 km² |
The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France.
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[edit] Geography
The river rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy (1 885 m) in the mountains of Auvergne, from the confluence of two small torrents: the Dore[1] and the Dogne. It flows generally west about 500 km through the Limousin and Périgord regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common estuary with the Garonne, at the "Ambès beak", in the north of the city of Bordeaux.
[edit] Name
Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word[2] resulting fromh the names of the Dore and the Dogne. It comes from an ancient Durānius[3], dérived from a preceltic root dur-, dor- (as the Durance).
The medieval forms adopted a redoubled suffix -ononia[4] : Dorononia fluvius[5] (sixth century), Dornonia (eighth century) that evolves in Dordonia (ninth century) by a phenomenon of dissimilation, giving the impression of an etymology *Dore-Dogne.
[edit] Nature
The Dordogne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibits the phenomenon known as a tidal bore.
The Valley of the Dordogne is quite beautiful and contributes significantly to the touristical attractivity of the region. The main season for tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September with July and August being high tide.
[edit] Course
The départements of France through which the Dordogne River runs, together with some towns in those départements that are on or quite near the River, are as follows:
- The département of Puy-de-Dôme - the towns of Mont-Dore (near the source of the River), La Bourboule
- The département of Corrèze - the towns of Argentat and Bort-les-Orgues
- The département of Lot - The town of Souillac
- The département of Dordogne - The towns of Beynac-et-Cazenac, Sarlat, Saint-Cyprien, and Bergerac
- The département of Gironde - the towns of Sainte-Foy-la-Grande and Libourne
[edit] Tributaries
Main tributaries from source to mouth:
- (R) Rhue
- (R) Diège
- (R) Luzège
- (L) Sumène
- (L) Auze
- (R) Doustre
- (L) Maronne
- (L) Cère
- (R) Sourdoire
- (L) Ouysse
- (R) Vézère along which many of the great prehistoric caves of Southwest France are located
- (R) Isle
- (L) Laurence
N.B. : (R) = right tributary; (L) = left tributary
[edit] Activities on the River
Aside from the usual activities such as tennis and golf available in many areas of France, there are a number of water-related activities related to the Dordogne River, including:
- Fishing, an age-old pastime for the locals and for visitors
- Canoeing and kayaking, very popular (canoes & kayaks are easy to rent)
- Boating in a Gabare (a traditional skiff peculiar to the Dordogne)
- Rafting
- Swimming
- Motorboating
- Sailing
- Rowing and sculling
- Waterskiing
[edit] Sources
- ^ Not to be confused with the Dore.
- ^ as the Midouze, a portmanteau that fuses the names of its two precursors, the Midou and the Douze.
- ^ Sidonius Apollinaris
- ^ influenced by the suffix -onna, frequent in river names, in France.
- ^ Gregory of Tours
- Entry to the Dordogne in Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre
- The Best of Dordogne Guide to tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne (the Perigord)
Categories: Rivers of France | Dordogne basin | Corrèze | Dordogne | Gironde | Lot | Puy-de-Dôme
