French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
department of the
Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
. From its source near the town of Viens it flows along the southern flanks of the Vaucluse mountains until flowing into the
Calavon
The Calavon (; also called ''le Coulon'') is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse '' départements'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Apt. Via the Calavon, the stream belongs to the catchment area of the
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 ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
.
Geography
Itinerary
The Dôa takes its source on the territory of the community of Viens, northwest of the castle and the Collet de Falquerol, near the crossing of the D22 en D33. Starting in Viens, the Dôa subsequently passes through Gignac and Rustrel before flowing into the Calavon east of the city of Apt. Before flowing through the Provençal Colorado in Rustrel, it runs through a series of valleys surrounded by hills forming the feet of the Vaucluse mountain range. During heavy thunderstorms, the water in the river mixes with the
Ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...
rich sediments and argillaceous loam from the Colorado, giving the stream a yellow color. After leaving Rustrel, the Dôa leaves its east–west trajectory and turns South toward the Calavon.
Accessibility
Apart from a small section where the stream flows through the Provençal Colorado at Rustrel, the river runs largely parallel to the D22 departmental road.
Tributaries
Multiple small streams running in valleys and gorges end in the Dôa over the course of its 16 km itinerary. Between these are found the Piedgros, Soured and Rebrondade.
Etymology
The first texts bearing a reference to the Dôa are found in the chartulary of the church of Apt. The stream is called the ''Rivus Luctuosa'' or ''Lutosa'' (literally "Loamy") in a document dating back to 906. The name then further evolved and is later called the ''Lodoza'', ''Luctuosa'' and finally ''Doza'' in a document form 1401, from which the present name ''Dôa'' is derived.