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 / 47.21250°N 0.07528°E / 47.21250; 0.07528 (Loire-Vienne)Coordinates: 47°12′45″N 0°4′31″E / 47.21250°N 0.07528°E / 47.21250; 0.07528 (Loire-Vienne)
Length	363 km (226 mi)
Basin size	21,105 km2 (8,149 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	203 m3/s (7,200 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Loire→ Atlantic Ocean

The Vienne in wooded landscape near Peyrelevade, close to its source on the Millevaches Massif

The Vienne (French pronunciation: [vjɛn] (listen); Occitan: Vinhana, pronounced [viɲaˈno]) is a major river in south-western France. It is 363 km (226 mi) long.^[1] It is a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydro-electric dams, and it is the main river of the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

Two French departments are named after the Vienne: Haute-Vienne (87) in the Limousin region and Vienne (86) both in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

Course[]

The Vienne rises as a spring in the department of Corrèze, at the foot of , on the Plateau de Millevaches, near Peyrelevade. It then flows roughly west to the city of Limoges 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 and Clain. Finally, after a journey of 372 km it reaches the Loire at Candes-Saint-Martin in the department of Indre-et-Loire.

The Vienne flows through the following departments 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 of Châtellerault
• The Clain, which flows through the city of Poitiers, and joins the Vienne in Châtellerault
• The Briance, which joins the Vienne in Condat-sur-Vienne
• The Taurion, which joins the Vienne north of Saint-Priest-Taurion

References[]

External links[]

• http://www.geoportail.fr

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