- Vienne River
Infobox River | river_name = Vienne
caption = The Vienne in Limoges.
origin =Plateau de Millevaches
mouth = Loire
coord|47|12|45|N|0|4|31|E|name=Loire-Vienne|display=inline,title
basin_countries =France
length = 363 km
elevation = 880 m
discharge = 203 m³/s
watershed = 21,105 km²The Vienne is one of the most importantriver s in south-westernFrance , a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydro-electric dams, and it is the main river of the Limousin region and also of the eastern part of thePoitou-Charentes region.Two French "départements" are named after the Vienne river: the
Haute-Vienne (87) in the Limousin region and theVienne (86) in the Poitou-Charentes region.Course
The Vienne rises as a spring in the department of the
Corrèze , at the foot ofMont Audouze , on thePlateau de Millevaches , nearPeyrelevade . It then flows roughly west to the city ofLimoges where it once played a major role in the famous Limoges porcelain industry. A little way after Limoges it takes a turn to the north. En route to its confluence with the Loire, the Vienne is joined by the rivers Creuse andClain . Finally, after a journey of 372km it reaches the Loire atCandes-Saint-Martin in the department ofIndre-et-Loire .The Vienne flows through the following "départements" and towns:
*
Corrèze :Peyrelevade
*Creuse
*Haute-Vienne :Eymoutiers ,Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat ,Limoges ,Aixe-sur-Vienne ,Saint-Junien
*Charente :Chabanais ,Confolens
*Vienne :L'Isle-Jourdain ,Lussac-les-Châteaux ,Chauvigny ,Châtellerault
*Indre-et-Loire :L'Île-Bouchard ,Chinon Tributaries include:
* The Creuse, which joins the Vienne north ofChâtellerault
* TheClain , which flows through the city ofPoitiers , and joins the Vienne inChâtellerault .References
*http://www.geoportail.fr
* [http://sandre.eaufrance.fr/app/chainage/courdo/htm/L---006-.php?cg=L---006- The Vienne at the Sandre database]
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