Cher (river)

river in central France

The Cher is a river in central France. It is a left tributary of the Loire River. It flows through several regions of France.

Cher
Cher  (French)
The Cher
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
 - locationMassif Central
 - elevation762 m (2,500 ft)
Mouth 
 - locationLoire
 - coordinates47°20′33″N 0°28′49″E / 47.34250°N 0.48028°E / 47.34250; 0.48028
Length367.8 km (228.5 mi)
Basin size13,718 km2 (5,297 sq mi)
Discharge 
 - average104 m3/s (3,700 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionLoireAtlantic Ocean

The Cher and Loir-et-Cher departments are named after this river.

Geography

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The Cher is 367.8 kilometres (228.5 miles) long. Its drainage basin covers 13,920 square kilometres (5,375 square miles).[1]

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 92.60 m3/s (3,270 cu ft/s) at Tours, Indre-et-Loire (1966 - 2017), near its mouth.[2]

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Tours

Course

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The Cher starts in the Massif Central, in the Mérinchal municipality, Creuse department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It starts at an altitude of about 715 metres (2,346 feet).[3]

The Cher flows, in general, to the northwest. It goes through the following regions, departments and communes:[1]

At its end, the Cher flows into the Loire River at the bec du Cher ("beak of the Cher")[N 1] in the Regional nature park Loire-Anjou-Touraine (Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine) in Villandry. That is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the city of Tours, in the Indre-et-Loire department, at 38 metres (125 feet) of altitude.[4]

Main tributaries

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The main tributaries, with a length greater than 50 km, of the Cher are:

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  1. The French word bec (beak or bill in English) means, in this and similar cases, the confluence of two rivers.

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "le Cher (K---0090)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  2. "Le Cher à Tours (Pont Saint Sauveur)" (in French). Banque Hydro. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  3. "Source de le Cher" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. "Confluence de le Cher" (in French). Géoportail. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. "Fiche cours d'eau: la Tardes (K51-0300)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. "Fiche cours d'eau: l'Arnon (K6--0240)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  7. "Fiche cours d'eau: le Fouzon (K65-0300)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  8. "Fiche cours d'eau: l'Aumance (K53-0300)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. "Fiche cours d'eau: l'Yèvre (K5--0230)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  10. "Fiche cours d'eau: la Sauldre (K6--0250)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.