Marne (river)

river in France

The Marne is a river in France. It is a right tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. Four departments are named after it: Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne and Val-de-Marne.

Marne
La Marne  (French)
The Marne at Dormans, showing aspects of 21st century navigation: grain silos, generating traffic, a hotel barge, and recreational craft
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
 - locationLangres Plateau, Haute-Marne
MouthSeine
 - locationCharenton-le-Pont
 - coordinates48°48′57″N 2°24′40″E / 48.81583°N 2.41111°E / 48.81583; 2.41111
Length514 km (319 mi)
Basin size12,800 km2 (4,900 sq mi)
Discharge 
 - average100 m3/s (3,500 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionSeineEnglish Channel

The Marne is famous as the place of two battles during the First World War, the first in 1914 and the second in 1918.

Geography

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The Marne river has a length of 513.9 km (319.3 mi),[1] one of the longest in France, and a drainage basin with an area of 12,660 km2 (4,888 sq mi).[2]

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 108 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Gournay-sur-Marne in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, for a period of 44 years.[2]

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Gournay-sur-Marne

Course

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The source of the Marne river is in the Plateau de Langres, in the commune of Balesmes-sur-Marne, at an altitude of about 420 m (1,378 ft), in the Haute-Marne department.[3] It flows generally to the north then turns to the west between Saint-Dizier and Châlons-en-Champagne.

The Marne river flows through 3 regions, 7 departments and 218 communes. It flows through the following communes, among others:[1]

Finally, it flows into the Seine river between Charenton-le-Pont and Alfortville in the Val-de-Marne department, in the area of Paris.[4]

Main tributaries

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The main tributaries of the Marne river are:[1]

Painters of the Marne

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During the 19th and 20th centuries the Marne inspired many painters: some of them are:

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "La Marne (F---0100)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "La Marne à Gournay-sur-Marne". Banque Hydro (in French). Ministère de l'Ecologie, du Développement Durable et de l'Energie. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  3. "Source de la Marne" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  4. "Embouchure de la Marne" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 5 December 2016.