Dordogne River

Infobox River | river_name = Dordogne

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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
discharge = 450 m³/s
watershed = 23,870 km²The Dordogne (Occitan: "Dordonha") is a river in south-central and southwest France.

Name

Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word [as the Midouze, a portmanteau that fuses the names of its two precursors, the Midou and the Douze.] resulting from the names of the "Dore" and the "Dogne". It comes from an ancient "Durānius" [Sidonius Apollinaris] , dérived from a Pre-Celtic root "dur-, dor-" (as the Durance).

The medieval forms adopted a redoubled suffix "-ononia" [influenced by the suffix "-onna", frequent in river names, in France.] : "Dorononia fluvius" [Gregory of Tours] (sixth century), "Dornonia" (eighth century) that evolves in "Dordonia" (ninth century) by a phenomenon of dissimilation, giving the impression of an etymology *"Dore-Dogne".

Geography

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" [Not to be confused with the Dore.] 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.Fact}

The Valley of the Dordogne is quite beautiful and contributes significantly to the attractiveness of the region. The main season for tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September with July and August being high tide.

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:

* The "département" of Puy-de-Dôme - the towns of Mont-Dore (near the source of the River), La Bourboule
* The "département" of Corrèze - the towns of Argentat and Bort-les-Orgues
* The "département" of Lot - The town of Souillac
* The "département" of Dordogne - The towns of Beynac-et-Cazenac, Sarlat, Saint-Cyprien, and Bergerac
* The "département" of Gironde - the towns of Sainte-Foy-la-Grande and Libourne

Tributaries

Main tributaries from source to mouth:

* (R) Rhue
* (R) Diège
* (R) Luzège
* (L) Sumène
* (L) Auze
* (R) Doustre
* (L) Maronne
* (L) Cère
* (R) Sourdoire
* (L) Ouysse
* (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:

* Fishing, an age-old pastime for the locals and for visitors
* Canoeing and kayaking, very popular (canoes & kayaks are easy to rent)
* Boating in a "Gabare" (a traditional skiff peculiar to the Dordogne)
* Rafting
* Swimming
* Motorboating
* Sailing
* Rowing and sculling
* Waterskiing

ources

* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dordogne_%28rivi%C3%A8re%29 Entry to the Dordogne] in "Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre"
* [http://www.best-of-perigord.tm.fr/ The Best of Dordogne] Guide to tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne (the Perigord)
*http://www.geoportail.fr
* [http://sandre.eaufrance.fr/app/chainage/courdo/htm/P---0000.php?cg=P---0000 The Dordogne at the Sandre database]