Dordogne (river)

Dordogne (river)
Dordogne

The Dordogne in Périgord.
Origin Massif Central
Mouth Garonne
45°2′29″N 0°36′24″W / 45.04139°N 0.60667°W / 45.04139; -0.60667 (Gironde-Dordogne)Coordinates: 45°2′29″N 0°36′24″W / 45.04139°N 0.60667°W / 45.04139; -0.60667 (Gironde-Dordogne)
Basin countries France
Length 483 km
Source elevation 1,720 m
Avg. discharge 450 m³/s
Basin area 23,870 km²
See also Dordogne département.

The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France.

Contents

Name

Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word[1] resulting from the names of the Dore and the Dogne. It comes from an ancient Durānius,[2] dérived from a Pre-Celtic root dur-, dor- (as the Durance).

The medieval forms adopted a redoubled suffix -ononia[3] : Dorononia fluvius[4] (sixth century), Dornonia (eighth century) that evolves in Dordonia (ninth century) by a phenomenon of dissimilation, giving the impression of an etymology *Dore-Dogne.

River Dordogne at Argentat in Corrèze, part of the Limousin region.

Geography

Location of Dordogne River

The river rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy (1 885 m) in the mountains of Auvergne, from the confluence of two small torrents above the town of Mont-Dore: the Dore[5] and the Dogne. It flows generally west about 500 km through the Limousin and Périgord regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common estuary with the Garonne, at the "Ambès beak", in the north of the city of Bordeaux.

Nature

The Dordogne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibits the phenomenon known as a tidal bore.[6]

The upper valley of the Dordogne is a series of deep gorges. The cliffs, steep banks, fast flowing water and high bridges attract both walkers and drivers. In several places the river is dammed to form long, deep lakes. Camp sites and holiday homes have proliferated wherever the valley floor is wide enough to accommodate them

Below Argentat and around Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, the valley widens to accommodate fertile farmland, well-watered pasture and orchards. In the towns, which are major tourist attractions because of their history and architecture, the quaysides are lined with eating and drinking places. In Périgord, the valley widens further to encompass one of France's main gastronomic regions, with vineyards, poultry farms and truffle-rich woodlands.

The main season for tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September with July and August being high season. The lifestyle and culture of the Dordogne valley attracts both visitors and incomers from all over France, but also from many other countries, particularly Britain and Germany.


Course

The départements of France through which the Dordogne River runs, together with some towns in those départements that are on or quite near the River, are as follows:

Tributaries

Dordogne River in the Périgord
Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne and Dordogne view from Altillac

Main tributaries from source to mouth:

  • (R) Chavanon
  • (L) Rhue River
  • (R) Diège
  • (L) Sumène
  • (R) Triouzoune
  • (L) Auze
  • (R) Luzège
  • (R) Doustre
  • (L) Maronne
  • (L) Cère
  • (R) Sourdoire
  • (L) Ouysse
  • (L) Céou
  • (R) Vézère along which many of the great prehistoric caves of Southwest France are located
  • (R) Isle
  • (L) Laurence

N.B. : (R) = right tributary; (L) = left tributary

Activities on the River

Aside from the usual activities such as tennis and golf available in many areas of France, there are a number of water-related activities related to the Dordogne River, including:

Sources

  1. ^ as the Midouze, a portmanteau that fuses the names of its two precursors, the Midou and the Douze.
  2. ^ Sidonius Apollinaris
  3. ^ influenced by the suffix -onna, frequent in river names, in France.
  4. ^ Gregory of Tours
  5. ^ Not to be confused with the Dore.
  6. ^ Tidal bores, Mascaret, Pororoca (1). Myths, Fables and Reality !!!

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dordogne River — Infobox River | river name = Dordogne caption = The Dordogne in Périgord. origin = Massif Central mouth = Garonne coord|45|2|29|N|0|36|24|W|name=Gironde Dordogne|display=inline,title basin countries = France length = 483 km elevation = 1,720 m… …   Wikipedia

  • Dordogne River — ancient Duranius. River, southwestern France. Rising in the Massif Central and flowing west for 293 mi (472 km), it unites with the Garonne River north of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary. It then flows through the spa resorts of Monts Dore… …   Universalium

  • Dordogne —   Department   …   Wikipedia

  • Dordogne (disambiguation) — Dordogne can refer to: The Dordogne département The Dordogne river This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wis …   Wikipedia

  • river — river1 riverless, adj. riverlike, adj. /riv euhr/, n. 1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. 2. a similar stream of something other than water: a… …   Universalium

  • Dordogne — [dō̂r dō̂n′y ] river in SW France, flowing southwest to unite with the Garonne and form the Gironde estuary: c. 300 mi (483 km) …   English World dictionary

  • Dordogne — Dor|dogne the Dordogne an area in southwest France around the River Dordogne, which is popular place for tourists …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Dordogne — geographical name river 293 miles (471 kilometers) SW France flowing SW & W to unite with the Garonne forming the Gironde Estuary …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Dordogne — /dawrdd dawn yeu/, n. 1. a river in SW France, flowing W to the Gironde estuary. 300 mi. (485 km) long. 2. a department in SW central France. 373,149; 3561 sq. mi. (9225 sq. km). Cap.: Périgueux. * * * …   Universalium

  • Dordogne — noun a) A department in southwest France, in the region of Aquitaine b) A river that flows from south central France into the Garonne …   Wiktionary

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