The Cher ( , ; ) is a river in central France, 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 ...

. It is long, and its basin area is . Its source is in the

Creuse Creuse (; or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the east, Cor ...

department, north-east of

Crocq Crocq (; ) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography An area of lakes, streams and farming comprising the village and a couple of hamlets, some southeast of Aubusson at the junction ...

. It joins the river Loire at Villandry, west of

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

. The river suffered a devastating

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

in 1940, which damaged the Château de Chenonceau, which spans the river, and other structures along the banks. It owes its name to the pre-Indo-European root kʰar 'stone'.

Departments and towns

The Cher flows through the following departments, and along the following towns: *

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 ...

: Montluçon *

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 ...

: Saint-Amand-Montrond,

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Cher are, from spring to mouth (L: left / R: right): * (L)

Tardes Tardes (; ) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography A farming area comprising several small villages and hamlets situated by the banks of the river Tardes, some north of Aubusson, ...

** (L)

Voueize The Voueize (; ) is a river in the Creuse ''département'', central France. Its source is at La Chaussade. It flows generally northeast. It is a left tributary of the Tardes into which it flows at Chambon-sur-Voueize. Communes along its course ...

* (R) Amaron or Lamaron at Montluçon * (R) Aumance at Meaulne * (R) Yèvre at

** (L) Auron ** (R) Colin * (L) Arnon at

** (L) Théols * (R)

Sauldre The Sauldre () is a long river in central France, a right tributary of the Cher. Its source is near the village of Montigny, southwest of Sancerre. The Sauldre flows generally northwest, through the following departments and towns: * Cher: Va ...

at Selles-sur-Cher * (L) Fouzon above Saint-Aignan

Navigation

The Cher was part of a network of waterways that linked 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 ...

, where connections to other regions of France existed. , only the section between Larçay (southeast of Tours) and Noyers-sur-Cher is navigable for small boats (maximum

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

80 cm). It has 14 locks. At Noyers-sur-Cher, it is connected with the Canal de Berry, of which only the westernmost section until Selles-sur-Cher is navigable.Fluviacarte
Canal de Berry

References

Rivers of France Rivers of Allier Rivers of Cher (department) Rivers of Creuse Rivers of Indre-et-Loire Rivers of Loir-et-Cher Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Centre-Val de Loire Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine {{France-river-stub