The Asse (; ) is a long
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 the
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'', southeastern
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 ...
.
Its source is several small streams which converge at
Tartonne, east of
Digne-les-Bains
Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the Franco-Provençal, classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Alpe ...
. It flows generally southwest. It is a
left tributary of the
Durance into which it flows between
Valensole and
Oraison, northeast of
Manosque. Its
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, ...
is .
[Bassin versant : Asse (L')]
Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA
The Asse is called "Asse de Clumanc" between its source and its confluence with the "Asse de Blieux" and the "Asse de Moriez" at
Barrême. The valleys of the Asse and its tributaries are protected as a
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
site.
Part of the Asse valley is used by the
route Napoléon.
Communes along its course
This list is ordered from source to mouth:
Tartonne,
Clumanc,
Saint-Lions,
Barrême,
Chaudon-Norante,
Beynes,
Entrages,
Châteauredon,
Mézel,
Estoublon,
Bras-d'Asse,
Saint-Julien-d'Asse,
Brunet,
Le Castellet,
Valensole,
Oraison
References
Rivers of France
Rivers of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Rivers of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Braided rivers in France
{{France-river-stub