The Don () is a river in
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, northwestern France. It is a tributary of the river
Vilaine
The Vilaine (; br, Gwilen) is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne ''département'' (53), and it flows out into the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan ''département'' (56). It is 218 km ...
. It is long.
Geography
The river Don rises near
Saint-Michel-et-Chanveaux
Saint-Michel-et-Chanveaux () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Ombrée d'Anjou.Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...
. The river flows west, passing through the towns of
Saint-Julien-de-Vouvantes and
Petit-Auverné, where the Little Don joins it. The river flows through the towns of
Isse Isse or ISSE may refer to:
Places
* Isse, village and commune in north-eastern France
* Issé, village and commune in north-western France
Computing
* Information Systems Security Engineering
* Internet Streaming SIMD Extensions, an SIMD instructi ...
,
Treffieux and
Jans, where the River Cone joins it. After passing under the RN 137, it continues toward
Marsac-sur-Don,
Guémené-Penfao
Guémené-Penfao (; br, Gwenvenez-Penfaou) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, north of Nantes. The commune is widespread and includes the former communes of Beslé-sur-Vilaine and Guénouvry.
Its name comes fr ...
and then
Massérac, where it empties into the river
Vilaine
The Vilaine (; br, Gwilen) is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne ''département'' (53), and it flows out into the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan ''département'' (56). It is 218 km ...
at the border of
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...
and the
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019. .
Hydrology
The Don has a very irregular flow rate over the months, like other tributaries of the Vilaine.
The flow of the Don was observed and documented in a study which took place over a period of 25 years (1983-2007). The results were taken from near the Don's confluence with the Vilaine. It showed that the average annual flow rate 3.77 cubic meters per second. However, the Don has strong seasonal fluctuations in flow rates, in common with other tributaries of the Valaine, and other rivers of Brittany. The highest waters occur in winter, and are characterized by average monthly rates ranging from 5.95 to 11.7 cubic meters per second. From March, the flow decreases rapidly, to the lowest water in summer from June to mid-October. The results are clearer in the bar graph, below.
See also
*
List of rivers in France
References
{{Reflist
Rivers of France
Rivers of Pays de la Loire
Rivers of Loire-Atlantique
Rivers of Maine-et-Loire