The Tarn (; oc, Tarn, la, Tarnis, possibly meaning 'rapid' or 'walled in') is a long

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

in the administrative region of

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasse ...

in southern

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 ...

. 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 ...

of 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 – a ...

. The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an elevation of on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains (part of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...

), through the deep gorges and canyons of the Gorges du Tarn that cuts through the Causse du Larzac, to Moissac in

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; oc, Tarn e Garona ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. The area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy and ...

, where it joins the

, downstream from the centre of town. Its basin covers approximately , and it has a mean flow of approximately . The Millau Viaduct spans the valley of the Tarn near Millau, and is now one of the area's most popular attractions.

Main tributaries

The tributaries of the Tarn include: * Agout (in Saint-Sulpice) *

Alrance Alrance (; oc, Alrança) is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region of southern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Alrançais'' or ''Alrançaises'' Geography Alrance is located some 30 km west of Mil ...

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants of ...

(near

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

) * Cernon * Dourbie (in Millau) * Dourdou de Camarès *

Jonte Jonte may refer to: * Jonte (river), a tributary of the Tarn in Southern France ;People * Jonté Buhl (born 1982), a professional Canadian football cornerback free agent * Jonte Willis (born 1983), an American heavyweight boxer * Antonio Álvarez Jo ...

(in Le Rozier) * Lemboulas * Lumensonesque * Muze * Rance (near

Trébas Trébas is a commune in the Tarn department and Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ...

) * Tarnon (in Florac) *

Tescou The Tescou (french: Le Tescou) is a tributary of the Tarn in the basin of the Garonne in southern France. It flows through the departments of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne and Haute-Garonne. The source is near Gaillac in the Massif Central, and its c ...

The Tarn separates the

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the M ...

and

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Januar ...

basins.

Departments and cities

The Tarn passes through the following

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

and towns: * Lozère: Le Pont-de-Montvert, Sainte-Enimie *

: Millau * Tarn:

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants ar ...

Gaillac Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois. Geography Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It h ...

, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Rabastens *

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country' ...

Villemur-sur-Tarn Villemur-sur-Tarn (, literally ''Villemur on Tarn''; Languedocien: ''Vilamur de Tarn'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily locat ...

, Moissac. The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, carrying the A75 autoroute across the Tarn Gorge near Millau, opened in December 2004. The Tarn is famous for its brutal floods, which are the most dangerous in Europe along with the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...

. The floods of March 1930 saw the Tarn rise more than above its normal level in

in just 24 hours, with a

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

of (the average discharge of the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

is ; the average discharge of the Nile during the traditional annual flooding before the building of the

Aswan Dam The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Its significance largely eclipsed the previous Aswan L ...

was ; the average discharge of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

is ). One third of the

department was flooded, about 300 people died, thousands of houses were destroyed, the low-lying districts of Montauban were destroyed, and the town of Moissac was almost entirely destroyed.

Navigation

The Tarn was once navigable from its junction with the Garonne to Corbarieu, near

. This stretch of river included seven river locks over a distance of . The canal was linked to the Canal de Garonne in Moissac by a branch lock upstream of the first river lock, and again, via the

Canal de Montech The Canal de Montech is an 11 km waterway in southwestern France connecting the Canal de Garonne Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) ...

, at Montauban. The two access points from the Canal de Garonne have both been restored, and boats can again access the immediate reaches of the river at these points. Additionally the first river lock, between Moissac and the Garonne itself, has been flooded by the barrage for the Golfech power station on the Garonne, and is permanently open to boats which can thus reach the Garonne and navigate a short distance of that river. The remaining six river locks are disused and unnavigable. A proposal exists to restore the five river locks between Moissac and Montauban, thus creating a waterway ring consisting of the Tarn from Moissac to Montauban, the Canal de Montech to Montech and the Canal de Garonne back to Moissac.

References

External links

French Waterways - River Tarn
Navigation guide to the lower *http://www.gorgesdutarn.net/?lang=en {{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) Rivers of Lozère Rivers of Aveyron Rivers of Tarn (department) Rivers of Haute-Garonne Rivers of Tarn-et-Garonne

Main tributaries

Departments and cities

Navigation

See also

References

External links