The Cher (; oc, Char), also referred to as the Cher River and the River Cher, is a river in central France, a left tributary of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

. It is long and its basin area is . Its source is in the

Creuse Creuse (; oc, Cruesa or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the ea ...

department, north-east of

Crocq Crocq (; oc, Cròc) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography An area of lakes, streams and farming comprising the village and a couple of hamlets, some southeast of Aubusson at the ...

. It joins the river Loire at

Villandry Villandry () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. The Château de Villandry is located there. Population See also *Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 272 communes of the Ind ...

, west of

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

. The river suffered a devastating

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

in 1940, which damaged the

Château de Chenonceau The Château de Chenonceau () is a French château spanning the river Cher (river), Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley. The estate of Chen ...

, which spans the river, and other structures along the banks. It owes its name to the pre-Indo-European root kʰar 'stone'.

Departments and towns

The Cher flows through the following departments, and along the following towns: *

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after ...

Montluçon Montluçon (; oc, Montleçon ) is a commune in central France on the river Cher. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's prefecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known a ...

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

Saint-Amand-Montrond Saint-Amand-Montrond () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France and the historical province of Bourbonnais. Saint-Amand-Montrond literally translates to Saint Amand round hill, despite not being on a round ...

Vierzon Vierzon () is a commune in the Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher with some light industry and an area of forestry and farming to the north. It is situated some northwes ...

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Cher are, from spring to mouth (L: left / R: right): * (L)

Tardes Tardes (; oc, Tardas) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography A farming area comprising several small villages and hamlets situated by the banks of the river Tardes, some north of ...

** (L) Voueize * (R)

Amaron :''Amaron should not be confused with Ammaron, Ammoron, or Amoron, three other Book of Mormon figures with similar names.'' According to the Book of Mormon, Amaron () was a Nephite record keeper, who received the Plates of Nephi from his father ...

or Lamaron at

* (R) Aumance at Meaulne * (R) Yèvre at

** (L) Auron ** (R) Colin * (L) Arnon at

** (L) Théols * (R) Sauldre at Selles-sur-Cher * (L) Fouzon above Saint-Aignan

Navigation

The Cher was part of a network of waterways that linked the city of

Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the principal city of the ...

, where connections to other regions of France existed. , only the section between Larçay (southeast of Tours) and Noyers-sur-Cher is navigable for small boats (maximum

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

80 cm). It has 14 locks. At Noyers-sur-Cher, it is connected with the Canal de Berry, of which only the westernmost section until Selles-sur-Cher is navigable.Fluviacarte
Canal de Berry

References

Rivers of France Rivers of Allier Rivers of Cher (department) Rivers of Creuse Rivers of Indre-et-Loire Rivers of Loir-et-Cher Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Centre-Val de Loire Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine {{France-river-stub