The Charente (; ) is a long river in southwestern France.
Its source is in the
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne (; , ; Upper Vienne) is a département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve départements that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture an ...
''
département'' at
Chéronnac, a small village near
Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne (; , ; Upper Vienne) is a département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve départements that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture an ...
,
Charente
Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the r ...
,
Vienne and
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...
. The river 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 ...
near
Rochefort.
Navigation
The Charente was described by the French king
François I as 'the most beautiful river in the kingdom', and was navigable in its natural state until mills were erected at many locations in the 14th century.
Some locks were built but through navigation remained impossible for centuries. Improvements to the navigation were projected under Louis XVI in 1772, but work was interrupted by the Revolution. The project was revived under the Restoration and canalisation completed in 1835. The waterway was abandoned in 1957. The ''départements'' took over operation in 1963, and recreational vessels have now taken possession of the waterway throughout the 164 km to the town of
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture.
Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
.
The historic towns of
Cognac,
Jarnac,
Saintes and
Rochefort make the river a popular destination for boaters, mainly in rental boats, with moorings provided at most towns and villages along the route. The
locks are .
[Charente (amont et aval)]
Fluviacarte
Tributaries
Tributaries include the rivers
Antenne,
Boëme,
Né, Coran,
Seugne, Bramerit,
Boutonne, Arnoult, Touvre and
Bonnieure.
The river Boutonne is navigable over a distance of 31 km to Saint-Jean-d'Angély, but a barrier at the confluence prevents access except under exceptional conditions.
En route
Towns and villages include
Vergeroux,
Soubise,
Rochefort and
Tonnay-Charente on the tidal river, and
Saint-Savinien,
Taillebourg,
Saintes,
Cognac,
Jarnac, Saint-Simon and
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture.
Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
on the navigable river, while
Montignac-Charente and
Civray are on the river's upper course.
See also
*
Kaolin deposits of the Charentes Basin
*
History of Charente
References
External links
River Charente and River Boutonne with maps and details for navigation, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', referenced above
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals(French waterways website section)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charente (River)
Rivers of France
Rivers of Charente
Rivers of Charente-Maritime
Rivers of Haute-Vienne
Rivers of Vienne (department)
Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine