Loir

Loir
Le Loir  (French)
The Loir in Lavardin
EtymologyFrom Gaulish ledo, "flow"
Nickname(s)Loir sans E ("Loir-without-E")
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
 - locationPerche
 - elevation150 m (490 ft)
Mouth 
 - locationSarthe
 - coordinates47°33′27″N 0°31′35″W / 47.55750°N 0.52639°W / 47.55750; -0.52639
Length319 km (198 mi)
Basin size8,270 km2 (3,190 sq mi)
Discharge 
 - average33 m3/s (1,200 cu ft/s)

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

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).

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).


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).

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

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

Main tributaries

The main tributaries of the Loir are:

Notes

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

References

  1. ↑ Nègre, Ernest (1990). Toponymie générale de la France. ISBN 9782600028837.
  2. ↑ "Noms de départements et de Régions | Orthodidacte". 15 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Maubeuge, Pierre L. (December 6, 1996). Comme une odeur de pétrole--: la recherche du pétrole en France des origines à 1945. Pierron. ISBN 9782708501485 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 "le Loir (M1--0160)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Le Loir à Durtal" (in French). Banque Hydro. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Source du Loir" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "Confluence du Loir" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 9 August 2017.