Charente (river)

Charente

Charente River in Tonnay-Charente
Basin
Main source Haute-Vienne
River mouth Atlantic Ocean
45°57′24″N 1°4′56″W / 45.95667°N 1.08222°W / 45.95667; -1.08222 (Atlantic Ocean-Charente)Coordinates: 45°57′24″N 1°4′56″W / 45.95667°N 1.08222°W / 45.95667; -1.08222 (Atlantic Ocean-Charente)
Size 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi)
Country France
Physiognomy
Length 381 km (237 mi)

The Charente (Occitan: Charanta) is a 381-kilometre (237 mi) long river in southwestern France. Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime. The river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Rochefort.

Navigation

The Charente was navigable for many years, but navigation has only recently been restored after the river had been virtually abandoned by commercial shipping in the middle of the 20th century. Recreational vessels have now taken possession of the waterway of which the navigability has been completely restored as far upstream as Angoulême. Flowing through cities like Cognac, Jarnac, Saintes and Rochefort, the river has excellent possibilities for tourism.

The river has been equipped upstream from Saintes, and it has locks of a fairly modest size—some 34 by 6 metres (112 by 20 ft). Marinas along the river offer boats for hire and mooring as well.[1]

Tributaries

The Charente river and its main tributaries

Tributaries include:

Cities

Cities along the river include:

References

  1. ↑ Archived November 9, 2005 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charente River.


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