Loir

river in France

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
Le Loir  (French)
The Loir in Lavardin
EtymologyFrom Gaulish ledo, "flow"[1]
Nickname(s)Loir sans E ("Loir-without-E")[2][3]
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 Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher departments are named after this river.

Geography

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The Loir is 317.4 kilometres (197.2 miles) long. Its drainage basin covers 8,294 square kilometres (3,202 square miles).[4]

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).[5]

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Durtal

Course

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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).[6]

The Loir flows, in general, to the southwest. It goes through the following regions, departments and communes:[4]

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.[7]

Main tributaries

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The main tributaries of the Loir are:

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

References

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  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. 4.0 4.1 "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.