The Adour (; ; ) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It rises in High-

Bigorre Bigorre (; 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 the larger region k ...

(

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

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

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

(

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

) near

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

. 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 The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided o ...

and Landes regions.

Places along the river

'' Départements'' and towns along the river include: *

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...

Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre (, literally ''Bagnères of Bigorre''; ) is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, Department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occita ...

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...

, Maubourguet *

Gers Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...

: Riscle * Landes:

Aire-sur-l'Adour Aire-sur-l'Adour (; or simply , before 1962: ''Aire'')Déc ...

Dax The DAX (''Deutscher Aktienindex'' (German stock index); ) is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index. Prices are taken from the Xetra t ...

Tarnos Tarnos (; ; ) 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 of the Landes de ...

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

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 The Léez (''Leez'', ''Lées'', ''Léès'', ''Lees'') is a left tributary of the Adour, in the Southwest of France. It is long. Name This name proceeds from an Aquitanian hydronym ''Lez / Liz''. Geography The Léez rises near Gardères in t ...

(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 (26 km) *

Nive The Nive (; ; ) 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 the ''Le petit Nicol ...

(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