The Allier ( , , ; ) is a river in central France. It is a left tributary of the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

. Its source is in the Massif Central, in the

Lozère Lozère (; ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the ...

department, east of Mende. It flows generally north. It joins the Loire west of the city of

Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

. It is long, and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of .

Departments and towns

The Allier flows through the following departments, and along the following towns, from source to mouth: *

: La Bastide-Puylaurent, Langogne; *

Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Lozère Lozère (; ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the ...

; *

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Canta ...

: Monistrol-d'Allier, Langeac, Brioude; *

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.Brassac-les-Mines, Auzat-la-Combelle, Issoire, Cournon-d'Auvergne, Pont-du-Château; *

Allier Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region that borders Cher (department), Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire (department), Loire to the east, Pu ...

: Saint-Yorre,

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

, Varennes-sur-Allier, Moulins, Château-sur-Allier; *

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

: Mornay-sur-Allier; *

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Chapeauroux (left side); *

Senouire The Senouire (; ) is a long river in the Haute-Loire'' département'', south-central France. Its source is at Sembadel. It flows generally west. It is a right tributary of the Allier Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department ...

(right side); * Alagnon (left side); * (left side); * (left side); * Veyre (left side); ** Monne (left side); * Dore (right side); ** Dolore (left side); * (left side); * (right side); * Sioule (left side).

Ecology

The Allier is one of the rare places in southern Europe where the freshwater grayling (Thymallus thymallus), known in French as , occurs in a natural habitat. Grayling like to live in

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...

s and are sensitive to pollution. In the Allier these fish are more abundant in the stretch between Langogne and Brioude. They are economically important, being appreciated for food and fished for sport.

Gallery

Allier at Coudes.jpg, Coudes, Puy-de-Dôme. Rivière Allier depuis l'ouest du pont de l'Europe (Vichy) 2022-07-14.JPG, Vichy, Allier. Moulins-bruecke-vom-allier.JPG, in Moulins, Allier. Allier Pont Canal LeGuétin.jpg, The bridge .

References

Rivers of France Rivers of Allier Rivers of Ardèche Rivers of Cher (department) Rivers of Haute-Loire Rivers of Lozère Rivers of Nièvre Rivers of Puy-de-Dôme Rivers of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Rivers of Centre-Val de Loire Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) {{France-river-stub