'', by
Vincent Van Gogh (
1888 )]]
The (
French ''Rhône'',
Occitan ''Ròse'',
Franco-Provençal ''Roun'', standard
German ''Rhone'',
Valais German ''Rotten'') is one of the major
River s of
Europe , running through
Switzerland and
France .
- ret- ("to run, roll"), which gave the word ''rota'' ("wheel") in Latin, from which is derived "rotate" and "to roll" in English. Cognate s in modern Celtic languages are Irish ''rith'' and Welsh ''rhedeg'', both meaning "to run".
Some scholars posit that the root ''rot-'' or ''rod-'' found in the name "Rhône" as well as in the name of many western European rivers, and whose original meaning seems to be "river", is in fact
Pre-Indo-European , in which case it would only be a coincidence that it resembles the Proto-Celtic verb ''reto'' ("to run"). Further research is needed to decide between these two theories.
In French, the adjective derived from the river is ''rhodanien'', as in ''le sillon rhodanien'' (literally "the furrow of the Rhône"), which is the name of the long straight
Saône and Rhône rivers valley, a deep cleft running due south to the
Mediterranean and separating the
Alps from the
Massif Central .
It rises as the effluent of the
Rhône Glacier in
Valais , Switzerland, in the
Saint-Gotthard Massif , at an altitude of 1753 m.
Up to
Martigny , the Rhône is a torrent, and then becomes a great mountain river running SW through a glacier valley. Then, it turns NW to exit the
Alps and flows west through
Lake Geneva (French ''Lac Leman'') before entering France.
/ France, with a view of a sign, the river, and the railway bridge.]]
.]]
It is joined by the river
Saône at
Lyon , before going south.
At
Arles , the Rhône divides itself in two arms, forming the
Camargue Delta , with all branches flowing into the
Mediterranean Sea . One arm is called the "
Grand Rhône ", the other one is the "
Petit Rhône ".
The Rhône is an important route for inland navigation, connecting the industrial cities of Arles, Avignon, Valence, Vienne and Lyon to the Mediterranean Sea ports of Fos, Marseille and Sète. The Rhône is developed as a class V waterway from the mouth of the Saône to the sea. The Saône river, which is also canalized, connects the Rhône ports to the cities of Villefranche, Macon and Chalons. Smaller vessels (up to CEMT class I) can travel further North-West, North and North-East via the Centre-Loire-Briare and Loing Canals to the Seine river, via the Canal de la Marne à la Saône (recently often called the "Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne") to the Marne, via the Canal des Vosges (formerly called the "Canal de l'Est - Branche Sud" to the Moselle and via the Canal du Rhône au Rhin to the Rhine.
The Rhône is infamous for its strong current when the river carries large quantities of water: current speeds up to 10 kilometers per hour are sometimes reached, particularly in the stretch below the last lock at Valabrègues and in some of the diversion canals. The ten river locks are operated daily from 05:00 a.m. till 09:00 p.m., but night operation can be asked and is usually granted. (Source:
NoorderSoft Waterways Database )
Though not the longest, the Rhône is the fastest and most powerful river in France.
An average of 1800 m
3/s of water pours into the Mediterranean at its delta. This puts it at number 48 in the world ranking. However, heavy rain can cause the river to swell to dangerous proportions. For example, the rate was 11,000 m
3/s at Beaucaire in January 1994.
Cities and towns along the River Rhône include:
The river has been a trade route since prehistoric times, helping to link Northern Europe to the Mediterranean.
