Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...
and
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...
regions of the south of France. It rises in the
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...
at Barret-sur-Méouge where it carves the spectacular tourist attraction, the ''Gorges de la Méouge'', through the limestone platform. Near the communities of
Châteauneuf-de-Chabre
Châteauneuf-de-Chabre (; oc, label=Vivaro-Alpine, Chasteunòu de Chabra) is a former commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Val Buëch-Méouge.Antonaves it joins the river
Buëch
The Buëch ( ), Occitan ''Bueg'' () is a river in southeastern France, a right tributary of the Durance. It is long. Its drainage basin is .Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
gorge
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
carved by the Méouge though the
mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
rock of the
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...
in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...
region. The lime colored gorge has wild shapes, small sandy beaches, huge polished pebbles, water holes and waterfalls. It is famous for swimming. The medieval bridge of Châteauneuf de Chabre is classified as a historical monument. The gorges are also classified Natural Areas of Ecological Interest, Fauna and Flora whose flora and fauna are protected.
Municipalities and townships crossed
In both departments of Hautes-Alpes (05) and
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
(26), the Méouge passes through eleven communities and two cantons. These include :
Barret-de-Lioure
Barret-de-Lioure (; oc, Barret de Liura) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Drôme department
The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France.
...
Saint-Pierre-Avez
Saint-Pierre-Avez ( Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Peire Avez'') is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department
The following is a list of the 162 communes of the ...
,
Châteauneuf-de-Chabre
Châteauneuf-de-Chabre (; oc, label=Vivaro-Alpine, Chasteunòu de Chabra) is a former commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Val Buëch-Méouge.Antonaves (confluence).
Tributaries
The Méouge has approximately 30 tributaries :
* the Touissit ravine,
* the Lèbrières ravine,
* the Défens stream,
* the Lioron ravine,
* the Rivadet ravine,
* the Rieu river
* the Villefranche stream with four tributaries
* the Voluy stream with two tributaries
* the Colombier ravine
* the Front-Cold ravine
* the Vignard ravine,
* the Saulce river with a tributary
* the Riançon river with two tributaries
* the Auzance, with two tributaries
* the Mouessoron river
* the Great Combe ravine
* the Couzaut stream with a tributary
* the stream through the Serre,
* the Fontaine Aillaud ravine,
* the Tramier ravine,
* the ravine of salt water,
* the Rif stream with three tributaries
* the Bigarière stream,
* The Fraches stream with a tributary
* the Vines stream
* the d'Ourse stream with a tributary
* the Peysson stream,
* the Rif stream with a tributary
* the Gironde stream,
Hydrology
The Méouge watershed has an area of (by SANDRE) and (by SIEM 7). It covers 14 municipalities and between 1,500 and 2,000 residents, mostly living in the municipalities of the Canton of Ribiers.