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Loire (river)

Loire (La Loire)
The Loire in Maine-et-Loire
Country France
Tributaries
 - left Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, Sèvre Nantaise
 - right Maine, Nièvre, Erdre
Source Massif Central
 - location Sainte-Eulalie, Ardèche
 - elevation 1,408 m (4,619 ft)
 - coordinates 44°49′48″N 4°13′20″E / 44.83000°N 4.22222°E / 44.83000; 4.22222
Mouth Atlantic Ocean
 - location Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
 - coordinates 47°16′09″N 2°11′09″W / 47.26917°N 2.18583°W / 47.26917; -2.18583Coordinates: 47°16′09″N 2°11′09″W / 47.26917°N 2.18583°W / 47.26917; -2.18583
Length 1,012 km (629 mi)
Basin 117,000 km2 (45,174 sq mi)
Discharge for Montjean-sur-Loire
 - average 835.3 m3/s (29,498 cu ft/s)
 - max 4,150 m3/s (146,600 cu ft/s)
 - min 60 m3/s (2,119 cu ft/s)
France map with Loire highlighted.jpg
Map of France with the Loire highlighted
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau. Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
Location France
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iv
Reference 933
UNESCO region Central France
Inscription history
Inscription 2000 (24th Session)

The Loire (French pronunciation: ​[lwaʁ]; Occitan: Léger; Breton: Liger) is the longest river in France. With a length of 1,012 kilometres (629 mi), it drains an area of 117,054 km2 (45,195 sq mi), or more than a fifth of France's land area, and is the 171st longest river in the world.

It rises in the highlands of the southeastern quarter of the Massif Central in the Cévennes range (in the department of Ardèche) at 1,350 m (4,430 ft) near Mont Gerbier de Jonc; it flows north for over 1,000 km (620 mi) through Nevers to Orléans, then west through Tours and Nantes until it reaches the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) at St Nazaire. Its main tributaries include the rivers Nièvre, Maine and the Erdre on its right bank, and the rivers Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, and the Sèvre Nantaise to the left bank.

The Loire gives its name to six departments: Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône-et-Loire. The central part of the Loire Valley, located in the Centre-Val de Loire region, was added to the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO on December 2, 2000. Vineyards and chateaux are found along the banks of the river throughout this area.


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