Arve

Arve
The Arve near Annemasse, Haute-Savoie
Native name	L'Arve
Country	France, Switzerland
Basin features
Main source	Col des Montets near Chamonix 1,516 m (4,974 ft) 46°00′12″N 6°55′13″E / 46.00341°N 6.92029°E / 46.00341; 6.92029
River mouth	Rhône in Geneva 370 m (1,210 ft) 46°12′05″N 6°07′19″E / 46.20129°N 6.12197°E / 46.20129; 6.12197Coordinates: 46°12′05″N 6°07′19″E / 46.20129°N 6.12197°E / 46.20129; 6.12197
Progression	Rhône→ Mediterranean Sea
Basin size	2,060 km2 (800 sq mi)
Physical characteristics
Length	102 km (63 mi)
Discharge	Average rate: 75 m3/s (2,600 cu ft/s)

The river Arve (French: L'Arve) flows for approximately 100 km (62 miles) through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and (for a few kilometers) in Switzerland. It is a left tributary of the Rhône.

Rising in the northern side of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps, close to the Swiss border, it receives water from the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley (mainly the Mer de Glace) before flowing north-west into the Rhône on the west side of Geneva, where its much higher level of silt brings forth a striking contrast between the two rivers.

The Arve flows through Chamonix, Sallanches, Oëx, Cluses, Bonneville, Annemasse and Geneva.

The Arve (right) meets the Rhône in Geneva

The Arve in Chamonix