Saison (river)
| Saison | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source |
Licq-Athérey 288 m (945 ft) |
| River mouth |
Gave d'Oloron 43°24′8″N 0°58′27″W / 43.40222°N 0.97417°WCoordinates: 43°24′8″N 0°58′27″W / 43.40222°N 0.97417°W |
| Length | 72 km (45 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Gave d'Oloron→ Gaves réunis→ Adour→ Atlantic Ocean |
| Basin size | 627 km2 (242 sq mi) |
The Saison or Uhaitz Handia, is a left tributary of the Gave d'Oloron river in the French Basque Country, (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Southwest of France. Its general south to north direction provides the axis for the former French province of Soule. It is also known as the Gave de Mauléon.
The river is formed in Licq-Athérey from the confluence of the Gave de Sainte-Engrâce (from the Pierre-Saint-Martin Cave) and the Gave de Larrau (from the Pic d'Orhy).
It flows north and joins the Gave d'Oloron in Autevielle-Saint-Martin-Bideren, downstream from Sauveterre-de-Béarn.
The riverside towns are Tardets-Sorholus and Mauléon-Licharre.
The vernacular name Uhaitz handia (or simply Uhaitza) is based on the common word uhaitz meaning "torrential river" in Euskara. It corresponds to the French word gave. -a is the article and handi means big.
The enigmatic gascon name Saison could be a contraction season with the former name Gaison, itself derived from the variant ugaitz of uhaitz.
Tributary names are also linguistically interesting, with two specific stems:
The stem gezal, a derivate of basque gazi 'salty', applied to 'still water', is also represented.
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