The (pronounced in
French ), the longest
River in
France with a length of just over
1000 Km , drains an area of
117,000 Km² , more than a fifth of France. The central part of the
Loire Valley was added on the
World Heritage Sites list by the
UNESCO On
December 2 ,
2000 .
- ''legh-'', meaning "to lie, lay", which gave many words in English, such as to lie, to lay, ledge, law, etc.
In French the adjective derived from the river is ''ligérien'', as in ''le climat ligérien'' ("the climate of the Loire Valley"), a climate considered the most pleasant of northern France, with warmer winters and, more generally, fewer extremes in temperatures than in more continental climates.
Originating in the north-eastern part of the southern
Cévennes highlands, the Loire flows roughly northward through
Roanne and
Nevers to
Orléans and thereafter westward through
Tours to the
Atlantic at
Nantes . The river's randomness has sometimes resulted in serious
Flood ing, notably in
1856 ,
1866 and
1910 .
Unlike most other rivers in western Europe, there are very few
Dam s or locks creating obstacles to its natural flow (the Villerest dam, built in 1985 a few kilometers south of
Roanne , has played a key-role in preventing recent flooding). As a result, the Loire is a very popular river for boating excusions, flowing through a pastoral countryside, past limestone cliffs and storybook
Castles .
Several
Départements Of France were named after the Loire. The Loire flows through the following départements and towns:
