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Var (river)

This article is about river in southern France. For river in Romania, see Var (Olt).
Var
Rooftops of Entrevaux and the gorge of the Var
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationMaritime Alps
 • elevation1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Mediterranean Sea
 • coordinates
43°39′13″N 7°11′59″E / 43.65361°N 7.19972°E / 43.65361; 7.19972
Length114 km (71 mi)
Basin size2,812 km2 (1,086 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average50 to 100 m3/s (1,800 to 3,500 cu ft/s)
Map

The Var (French: [vaʁ] ⓘ, Occitan: [ˈbaɾ]; Italian: Varo; Latin: Varus) is a river located in the southeast of France. It is 114 km (71 mi) long.[1] Its drainage basin is 2,812 km2 (1,086 sq mi).[2]

The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes département for most of its length, with a short (~15 km or ~9 mi) stretch in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département. It is a unique case in France of a river not flowing in the département named after it (see Var).

Until the beginning of the 19th century, the river had no bridges; it was the border between France and the County of Nice, then part of Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.

Name

[edit]

The river name is attested in Latin as Vārus and in Ancient Greek as Ouãros (Οὐᾶρος). It stems from the Indo-European root *uōr- (earlier *uer-), meaning 'water, river' (cf. Sanskrit vār, Old Norse vari).[3]

Hydrography

[edit]

The Var rises near the Col de la Cayolle (2,326 m/7,631 ft) in the Maritime Alps and flows generally southeast to its outflow into the Mediterranean Sea between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. Its main tributaries are the Cians, the Tinée, the Vésubie, the Coulomp, the Estéron, the Tuébi, the Chalvagne, the Barlatte, the Bourdous and the Roudoule.[1]

The Var flows through the following départements and towns:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - Le Var (Y6--0200)".
  2. ^ Bassin versant : Var (Le), Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA
  3. ^ Delamarre 2003, p. 301.

Bibliography

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