Loir

The Loir is a river in central France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. It flows through two regions of France: Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire

Loir
Length319 km (198 mi)

The Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher departments are named after this river.

Geography

The Loir is 317.4 kilometres (197.2 miles) long. Its drainage basin covers 8,294 square kilometres (3,202 square miles).[1]

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 31.70 m3/s (1,119 cu ft/s) at Durtal, Maine-et-Loire (1961 - 2017).[2]

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Durtal

Course

The Loir starts in the former province of Perche, in the commune of Champrond-en-Gâtine, Eure-et-Loir department, Centre-Val de Loire region. It starts at an altitude of about 265 metres (869 feet).[3]

The Loir flows, in general, to the southwest. It goes through the following regions, departments and communes:[1]

At its end, the Loir flows into the Sarthe river at the place called Bec du Loir ("beak of the Cher")[N 1] in Briollay, Maine-et-Loire department, at 16 metres (52 feet) of altitude.[4]

Main tributaries

The main tributaries of the Loir are:

Left tributaries:

  • Conie - 32.4 km
  • Aigre - 30.8 km
  • Houzée - 20.8 km
  • Dême - 32.5 km
  • Fare - 36.9 km
  • Maulne - 29.3 km
  • Marconne - 20.9 km

Right tributaries:

  • Thironne - 26 km
  • Foussarde - 30.5 km
  • Ozanne - 44 km
  • Yerre - 48.7 km
  • Egvonne - 24.2 km
  • Braye - 75.1 km
  • Veuve - 26.2 km
  • Aune - 29.8 km
  • Argance - 19.7 km

Gallery

Related pages

Notes

  1. The French word bec (beak or bill in English) means, in this and similar cases, the confluence of two rivers.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "le Loir (M1--0160)" (in français). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. "Le Loir à Durtal" (in français). Banque Hydro. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  3. "Source du Loir" (in français). Géoportail. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  4. "Confluence du Loir" (in français). Géoportail. Retrieved 9 August 2017.