The Dordogne (; oc, Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It is long. The Dordogne and its watershed were designated

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

on July 11 2012.

Geography

The river rises on the flanks of the

Puy de Sancy Puy de Sancy (, ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Puèi de la Crotz , ) is the highest mountain in the Massif Central. It is part of an ancient stratovolcano which has been inactive for about 220,000 years. The northern and southern slopes are used f ...

at above sea level in the mountains of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

, from the confluence of two small torrents above the town of Le Mont-Dore: the ''Dore'' and the ''Dogne''. It flows generally west about through the

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

and

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; oc, Peiregòrd / ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is div ...

regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

with the

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – ...

, at the

Bec d'Ambès The Bec d'Ambès (, literally ''Beak of Ambès'') is the point of confluence of the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, in the Gironde estuary. Situated 15 miles north of Bordeaux, it has an oil refinery which was destroyed by bombing during World War I ...

("Ambès beak"), north of the city of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

Nature

The Dordogne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit the phenomenon of a

tidal bore Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (serv ...

, known as a mascaret.Tidal bores, Mascaret, Pororoca (1). Myths, Fables and Reality !!!
/ref> The upper valley of the Dordogne is a series of deep gorges. The cliffs, steep banks, fast flowing water and high bridges attract both walkers and drivers. In several places the river is dammed to form long, deep lakes. Camp sites and holiday homes have proliferated wherever the valley floor is wide enough to accommodate them. Below

Argentat Argentat () is a former commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Argentat-sur-Dordogne. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Argentacois ...

and around

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (, literally ''Beaulieu on Dordogne''; oc, Belluec) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, central France. Beaulieu is a medieval city, originally dominated by its great abbey of St Pie ...

, the valley widens to accommodate fertile farmland, well-watered pasture and orchards. In the towns, which are major tourist attractions because of their history and architecture, the quaysides are lined with eating and drinking places. In Périgord, the valley widens further to encompass one of France's main gastronomic regions, with vineyards, poultry farms and truffle-rich woodlands. The main season for

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September, with July and August being high season. The lifestyle and culture of the Dordogne valley attract both visitors and incomers from all over France, but also from many other countries, particularly Britain and Germany.

Course

*The ''

départements A department (, ) is an administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departments as second-level div ...

'' of France through which the Dordogne runs, together with some towns in those ''départements'' that are on or quite near the river, are as follows: *The ' of

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.Le Mont-Dore (near the source of the river) and

La Bourboule La Bourboule (; Auvergnat: ''La Borbola'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of t ...

; *The ' of

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...

– The towns of

Bort-les-Orgues Bort-les-Orgues (; oc, Bòrt) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Geography Bort-les-Orgues is situated on the Dordogne. The river Rhue forms part of the commune's southeastern border, then flows into the Dordogne. ...

, and

; *The ' of

Lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

– The towns of Souillac,

Pinsac Pinsac (; oc, Pinçac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Lot department The following is a list of the 313 communes of the Lot department of France France (), officially the ...

, Lacave,

Meyronne Meyronne (; oc, Mairona) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Lot department The following is a list of the 313 communes of the Lot department of France France (), officially ...

, Creysse, Montvalent,

Martel Martel may refer to: People * Andre Martel (1946–2016), American politician and businessman * Anne-Marie Martel (1644–1673), founder of what is now the Congrégation des Sœurs de l’Enfant-Jésus. * James B. Aguayo-Martel, ophthalmologist ...

, Floirac,

Carennac Carennac () is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France in the historical region of Quercy. The village lies in the fertile valley of the Dordogne under the arid plateau locally named 'le Causse'. Its landmarks include a medieval ...

, Gintrac, Tauriac and

Prudhomat Prudhomat (; oc, Prudomat) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. The Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux is located in Prudhomat. See also *Communes of the Lot department The following is a list of the 313 communes of t ...

; *The ' of

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

– The towns of

Beynac-et-Cazenac Beynac-et-Cazenac (; oc, Bainac e Casenac) is a village located in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. The medieval Château de Beynac is located in the commune. The village is classified as one of ''Les plus beaux villages de Fr ...

, Sarlat, Saint-Cyprien, and Bergerac; *The ' of Gironde – The towns of

Sainte-Foy-la-Grande Sainte-Foy-la-Grande (; oc, Senta Fe la Granda) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is on the south bank of the Dordogne. History The town was founded in 1076, near a priory where Sainte Foy ...

and

Libourne Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Ém ...

Tributaries

Main

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

from source to mouth: *(R) Chavanon; *(L) Rhue; *(R)

Diège The Diège (; oc, Dieja) is a long river in the Corrèze ''département'', south central France. Its source is at Saint-Setiers, on the plateau de Millevaches, in the '' parc naturel régional de Millevaches en Limousin''. It flows generally sou ...

; *(L) Sumène; *(R)

Triouzoune The Triouzoune ( oc, Triusona) is a long river in the Corrèze ''département'', south-central France. Its source is on the Plateau de Millevaches, north of ''la Rigaudie'', a hamlet in Saint-Sulpice-les-Bois. It flows generally south-southeast. ...

; *(L) Auze; *(R)

Luzège The Luzège (; oc, Luseja) is a long river in the Corrèze ''département'', south-central France. Its source is on the Plateau de Millevaches, in Meymac, north-northwest of the town. It flows generally south. It is a right tributary of the Do ...

; *(R) Doustre; *(L)

Maronne The Maronne () is a long river in the Cantal and Corrèze departments in south central France. Its source is several small streams joining near Récusset, a hamlet in Saint-Paul-de-Salers. It flows generally west. It is a left tributary of the Do ...

; *(L)

Cère The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal. It flows generally west through the following ''départements'' and town ...

; *(L) Bave; *(R) Sourdoire; *(L) Ouysse; *(L)

Céou The Céou () is a long river in the Lot and Dordogne ''départements'', southwestern France. Its source is at Séniergues, southwest of Rocamadour. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ...

; *(R)

Vézère The Vézère (; oc, Vesera) is a 211-km-long river in southwestern France. It is an important tributary to the Dordogne. Its source is in the northwestern part of the elevated plateau known as the Massif Central. It flows into the Dordogne near ...

; *(L) Couze; *(R) Caudeau; *(R) Lidoire; *(R) Isle. ''N.B. : (R) = right tributary; (L) = left tributary''

Activities

Aside from the usual activities such as tennis and golf available in many areas of France, there are a number of water-related activities related to the Dordogne, including: *

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, an age-old pastime for the locals and for visitors; * Canoeing and kayaking, very popular (canoes & kayaks are easy to rent); * Boating in a ''Gabare'' (a traditional skiff peculiar to the Dordogne); *

Rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

; *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

; * Motorboating; *

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

; *

Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

and sculling; *

Water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

Dams

Marèges Dam The Marèges Dam is a concrete arch dam on the Dordogne River. It is located southeast of Liginiac in Corrèze department, France. It was constructed between 1932 and 1935 by the Railway Company du Midi. Its primary purpose is the generation ...

*Dam at

*Barrage de l'Aigle (The Eagle Dam) *Dam at Argentat *Dam at Bergerac *Dam at Chastang *Dam at Mauzac *Barrage de Tuilières

References

External links

The Dordogne Valley in the Lot department (website in French)The Dordogne Valley UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (website in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dordogne (river) Rivers of France Rivers of Corrèze Rivers of Dordogne Rivers of Gironde Rivers of Lot (department) Rivers of Puy-de-Dôme Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) Biosphere reserves of France