Var (river)

The Var (Latin: Varus) is a river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône river.It gave its name to the French department of Var. It is a unique case in France of a river not flowing in the department named after it (see Var)

Var (river)
Length114 km (71 mi)

Geography

The Var river has a length of 113.8 km (70.7 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of 2,819 km2 (1,088 sq mi).[1]

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 50.40 m3/s (1,780 cu ft/s) at Nice (Pont Napoléon III) in the Alpes-Maritimes department.[2]

Course

Source of the Var in Estenc

The source of the Var is in the small town of Estenc, in the commune of Entraunes, at an altitude of about 1,790 m (5,873 ft), to the south of the Col de la Cayolle, a mountain pass 2,326 m (7,631 ft) high, in the Alpes-Maritimes department.[3] From here, the Var flows, in general, to the southeast.

The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department for most of its length; it flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department for a short distance, about 15 km (9.3 mi).

The Var between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var

The Var river flows through 1 region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur), 2 departments and 31 communes. It flows through the following communes, among others:[1]

Finally, it flows into the Mediterranean Sea between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var.[4]

Main tributaries

The five main tributaries of the Var river are:[1]

Left tributaries:

  • Cians - 25 km
  • Tinée - 75 km
  • Vésubie - 48 km

Right tributaries:

  • Coulomp - 20 km
  • Estéron - 66.7 km

Related pages

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Le Var (Y6--0200) (in fr)SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  2. Le Var à Nice [Pont Napoléon III] (in fr). Banque HydroMinistère de l'Ecologie, du Développement Durable et de l'Energie. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. Source du Var (in fr)Géoportail. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. Embouchure du Var (in fr)Géoportail. Retrieved 20 November 2016.