The Semois (; ''Simwès'' in Walloon, often under elided form ''Smwès''; ''Semoy'', ''Sesbach'' in German, ''Setzbaach'' in Luxemburgish of Arlon; and known as the ''Semoy'' in France) is a river flowing from the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

uplands of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and

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 ar ...

towards the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

, of which it is a

right tributary 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 ...

. The source of the Semois is in Arlon,

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg, close to the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Flowing in a roughly westerly direction, it enters France after passing through the Belgian village of Bohan-sur-Semois and forms about of the Belgian–French border. It joins the Meuse further downstream in Monthermé. The total length of the river is . Other places on the banks of the Semois are Chiny, Florenville, Herbeumont, Bouillon (including the localities of

Dohan Dohan ( wa, Dôhan), sometimes known as Dohan-sur-Semois, is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Bouillon, located in the province of Luxembourg. Located in the southern Ardennes, it stands on the Semois The Semois (; ' ...

and Poupehan), and Vresse-sur-Semois (all in Belgium). The earliest documentation of the name, as SESMARA, is dated from the 2nd century AD. That was before that region was influenced by significant Germanic immigration. Medieval forms include ''Sesomirs'' (664), ''Sesmarus'' (950), ''Sesmoys'' (1104), and ''Semoir'' (1244). The river has given its name to a variety of tobacco grown in the area. Semois Ste Cécile

References

International rivers of Europe Rivers of the Ardennes (Belgium) Rivers of the Ardennes (France) Rivers of Belgium Rivers of France Rivers of Wallonia Rivers of Grand Est Rivers of Ardennes (department) Rivers of Luxembourg (Belgium) Rivers of Namur (province) Arlon Bertrix Bouillon Étalle, Belgium Florenville Herbeumont Tintigny Belgium–France border Border rivers {{France-river-stub