Arve

For other uses, see Arve (disambiguation).
Arve

Arve near Annemasse, Haute-Savoie
Origin Graian Alps
Mouth Rhône
46°12′3″N 6°7′19″E / 46.20083°N 6.12194°ECoordinates: 46°12′3″N 6°7′19″E / 46.20083°N 6.12194°E
Basin countries France, Switzerland
Length 102 km
Avg. discharge 75 m³/s
Basin area 2,060 km²

The Arve river flows for approximately 100 km (62 miles) through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and (for a few kilometers) in Switzerland. It is a left tributary of the Rhône.

Rising in the Graian Alps, close to the Swiss border, it receives water from the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley (mainly the Mer de Glace) before flowing north-west into the Rhône on the west side of Geneva, where its much higher level of silt brings forth a striking contrast between the two rivers.

The Arve flows through Chamonix, Sallanches, Cluses, Bonneville, Annemasse and Geneva.

Gallery