Var (river)

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]

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
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)
This article is about river in southern France. For river in Romania, see Var (Olt).

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

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

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
  1. 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

  • Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN 9782877723695.
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