The Ousse, is a right tributary of the

Gave de Pau The Gave de Pau () is a river of south-western France. It takes its name from the city of Pau, through which it flows. The river is long ( including the Gaves réunis), and its source is at the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees mountains. The ...

, in

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

(

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...

), in the southwest of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It flows into the Gave at the foot of the Pau Castle. It is long.

Name

The name ''

Ousse Ousse (; oc, Ossa) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques depa ...

'' is a common river name, probably derived from a former '' Ourse'', that applies to many other rivers, as a tributary of the

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

. The river left its name to the riverside commune

Geography

The Ousse rises in

Bartrès Bartrès (; oc, Bartrés) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. The village is famous for its association with St. Bernadette Soubirous. St. Bernadette was sent there in her infancy to a wet nurse, and again in ...

, a few kilometres north of

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...

, at an elevation of above sea level. It drains an old dry valley left by the Gave de Pau after the final installation of the

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

of Lourdes, during the

Riss glaciation The Riss glaciation, Riss Glaciation, Riss ice age, Riss Ice Age, Riss glacial or Riss Glacial (german: Riß-Kaltzeit, ', ' or (obsolete) ') is the second youngest glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch in the traditional, quadripartite glacial classi ...

. During the previous

Mindel glaciation The Mindel glaciation (german: Mindel-Kaltzeit, also ''Mindel-Glazial'', ''Mindel-Komplex'' or, colloquially, ''Mindel-Eiszeit'') is the third youngest glacial stage in the Alps. Its name was coined by Albrecht Penck and Eduard Brückner, who nam ...

, the Gave flowed through Pont-Long, an older dry valley on the north of the Ousse. The Ousse valley is separated from the Gave by

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

deposits dating from

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

. The Ousse meanders in its valley which has a very low slope. The drainage is improved by many ditches. Breeding is the main activity. The Ousse flows into the Gave in the town of Pau.

Départements and towns

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

Loubajac Loubajac (; oc, Lobajac) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to h ...

Barlest Barlest is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a hig ...

, *

: Pontacq,

Barzun Barzun may refer to: * Jacques Barzun, French-American historian * Matthew Barzun Matthew Winthrop Barzun (born October 23, 1970) is an American businessman, diplomat and political fundraiser who served as the United States Ambassador to the Uni ...

, Livron, Espoey,

Gomer Gomer ( he, ''Gōmer'', ; el, Γαμὲρ, translit=Gamér) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10). The epo ...

Soumoulou Soumoulou (; oc, Somolon) is a commune in the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France. It is 120 km from the Basque Coast and the beaches south of the Lande ...

Nousty Nousty (; oc, Nostin) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. The inhabitants of the town of Nousty are called ''Noustysiens'', ''Noustysiennes'' in French.Artigueloutan Artigueloutan (; oc, Artigalotan) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. It is part of the urban area (''aire d'attraction des villes'') of Pau. The inhabitants of the co ...

Lée Lée () or Lee is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department ...

Idron Idron () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is an eastern suburb of Pau Population See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of ...

Bizanos Bizanos (; oc, Visanòs ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. Population Sports The home ground of local football club Pau FC, the Nouste Camp, is located in Bizanos. See also *Communes of the Pyr� ...

, Pau.

Main tributaries

* (R) Barrade or Oussère, at Pontacq * (L) Louroû, at

, from

Labatmale Labatmale (; oc, La Vatmala) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-west France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ...

References

{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Hautes-Pyrénées Rivers of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)