The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It rises in High-

Bigorre Bigorre ({{IPA-fr, biɡɔʁ; Gascon: ''Bigòrra'') is a region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a French province, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of th ...

(

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

( Bay of Biscay) near

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ''Adour de Payolle''. At its final stretch, i.e. on its way through Bayonne and a short extent upstream, the river draws the border between the Northern Basque Country and

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word ''l ...

regions.

Places along the river

'' Départements'' and towns along the river include: * Hautes-Pyrénées: Bagnères-de-Bigorre,

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

, Maubourguet * Gers: Riscle *

: Aire-sur-l'Adour, Dax,

Tarnos Tarnos (; eu, Tarnose; oc, Tarnòs) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Geography Tarnos is in the far southwest corner of the department, 5 km north of Bayonne. Population See also *Communes ...

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Adour are, from source to mouth: * Adour de Gripp (also ''Adour du Tourmalet'', 15 km) * Adour de Lesponne (19 km) *

Échez The Échez () is a left tributary of the Adour, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, in the Southwest of France. It is long. Geography The Échez rises in ''Sère-Lanso'' (east of Lourdes) and flows north along the Adour, which it joins in Maubourguet. ...

(64 km) * Arros (130 km) * Léez (56 km) * Gabas (117 km) * Midouze (151 km) * Louts (86 km) * Luy (154 km) * Gave de Pau (191 km) * Bidouze (82 km) * Aran (48 km) *

Ardanabia The Ardanabia (also known as ''Ardanabie'', ''Ardanavie'', ''Ardanavy'', ''Ardanavia'') is a left tributary of the Adour, in the French Basque Country, in Aquitaine, Southwest France. It is long. Geography The Ardanabia rises in the moors of ...

(26 km) *

Nive The Nive (; eu, Errobi; oc, Niva) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. It is a left tributary of the river Adour. It is long. The river's source in the Pyrenees in Lower Navarre. The river Nive was made famous by ...

(79 km)

References

External links

Commission Européenne—Natura 2000: Cartographie du Barthes de l'Adour
�� — ''maps of the Adour and Adour Basin''.
Natura 2000 Sites d'Intérêt Communautaire par la France: Barthes de l'Adour
—
Adour
— — ''website homepage''.

�� — ''"the centrepiece of EU nature & biodiversity policy."'' 01 Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) Natura 2000 in France Rivers of Gers Rivers of Hautes-Pyrénées Rivers of Landes (department) Rivers of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Rivers of France Protected areas of the Pyrenees {{France-river-stub