Charente (river)

Charente Charanta  (Occitan)
The Charente in Tonnay-Charente
The Charente and its main tributaries
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
- location	Haute-Vienne
Mouth
- location	Atlantic Ocean
- coordinates	45°57′24″N 1°4′56″W / 45.95667°N 1.08222°W / 45.95667; -1.08222
Length	381 km (237 mi)
Basin size	10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	40 m3/s (1,400 cu ft/s)

The Charente (Saintongeais: Chérente, Occitan: Charanta) is a river in southwestern France that flows through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Two departments, Charente and Charente-Maritime, are named after the river.

It rises in the Massif Central and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Rochefort.

The Charente river has a length of 381.4 km (237 mi),^[1] and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 9,855 km² (3,805 sq mi).

The Charente river starts in western Massif Central, in the commune of Chéronnac, Haute-Vienne department, at an elevation of about 1,380 m (4,528 ft).^[2] It flows to the northwest for about 12 km (7 mi) and then flows through the north of the Charente department.

The river keeps flowing to the northwest and gets into the Vienne department. After the commune of Civray, the river turns to the southwest and gets back into the Charente department. After Angoulême, the river turns west and, after Cognac, to the northwest.

Finally, the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Rochefort.^[3]

The river is navigable (it is deep, wide and slow enough for a ship to pass), mainly with recreational boats from Angoulême to its mouth.

The Charente flows through 4 departments and 120 communes, all in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region:^[1]

• Haute-Vienne: three communes.
• Vienne: ten communes and the cities Charroux and Civray.
• Charente: 78 communes and the cities Gond-Pontouvre, Angoulême, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, Jarnac and Cognac.
• Charente-Maritime: 35 communes and the cities Saintes, Tonnay-Charente et Rochefort.

The main tributaries of the Charente river are:^[1]

• 
  The source of the Charente in Cheronnac
• 
  The Charent in Houmeau, down Angoulême
• 
  The Charente and the Château de Cognac
• 
  Mouth of the Charente

• List of rivers of France

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charente River.

• Banque Hydro - Station R5200010 - La Charente à Chaniers Archived 2015-02-19 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Dictionnaire des canaux et rivières de France - Rivière Charente (in French)
• Site web officiel du Site Natura 2000 FR5400-472 "Moyenne vallée de la Charente, Seugne et Coran" (in French)