Vienne (river)

Vienne Vinhana  (Occitan)
The Vienne in Limoges
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
- location	Plateau de Millevaches
- elevation	880 m (2,890 ft)
Mouth
- location	Loire
- coordinates	47°12′45″N 0°4′31″E
Length	363 km (226 mi)
Basin size	21,105 km^2 (8,149 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	203 m^3/s (7,200 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Loire→ Atlantic Ocean

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).^[1]

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).^[2]

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.^[3]

The Vienne flows through 6 departments and 96 communes, in 2 regions:^[1]

• 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:^[1]

Left tributaries: Combade - 41 km Briance - 57.7 km Clain - 144.3 km Aixette - 27.1 km

Right tributaries: Maulde - 68.5 km Taurion - 107.5 km Aurence - 27.3 km Glane - 41.4 km Gorre - 39.2 km Goire - 28.7 km Issoire - 45.7 km Blourde - 46.5 km Creuse - 236.6 Manse - 30.5 km

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.^[4]

Average monthly discharge (m³/s) at Nouâtre (1958 - 2017)^[4]

Gallery

• 
  The source of Vienne near Saint-Setiers.
• 
  The Vienne near Peyrelevade.
• 
  The Vienne in Chinon.
• 
  The Vienne in Aixe-sur-Vienne (Haute-Vienne).
• 
  Confluence with the Loire river, the Vienne in front.

Related pages

• List of rivers of France

References

1. "La Vienne (L---0060)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
2. "Source de la Vienne" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 31 July 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
3. "Confluence de la Vienne" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 31 July 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "La Vienne à Nouâtre" (in French). Banque Hydro. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2017.

Other websites

• Banque Hydro - Station L7000610 - La Vienne à Nouâtre Archived 2015-02-19 at the Wayback Machine (in French)