The Ousse, is a right tributary of the

Gave de Pau The Gave de Pau () is a river of south-western France. It takes its name from the city of Pau, through which it flows. The river is long ( including the Gaves réunis), and although its source is considered to be on the Cirque de Gavarnie in t ...

, in

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

(

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 ...

), in the southwest of

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 flows into the Gave at the foot of the

Pau Castle Pau or PAU may refer to: Places * Pau (Aachen), a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * PAU, an agricultural university in Punjab, India * Pau (river), a river of south-western France (Gave de Pau) * Pau, Edom, a city in the Bible * Pau, Pyr ...

. It is long.

Name

The name ''

Ousse Ousse (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. In 1973, it was merged into the commune Idron-Lée-Ousse-Sendets (renamed Idron-Ousse-Sendets after Lée left the commune in 1989) with three other commu ...

'' is a common river name, probably derived from a former '' Ourse'', that applies to many other rivers, as a tributary of the

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 ...

. The river left its name to the riverside commune

Geography

The Ousse rises in

Bartrès Bartrès (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in southwestern France. The village is famous for its association with St. Bernadette Soubirous. St. Bernadette was sent there in her infanc ...

, a few kilometres north of

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

, at an elevation of above sea level. It drains an old dry valley left by the Gave de Pau after the final installation of the

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

of Lourdes, during the

Riss glaciation The Riss glaciation, Riss Glaciation, Riss ice age, Riss Ice Age, Riss glacial or Riss Glacial (, ', ' or (obsolete) ') is the second youngest glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch in the traditional, quadripartite glacial classification of the Alps ...

. During the previous

Mindel glaciation The Mindel glaciation (, also ''Mindel-Glazial'', ''Mindel-Komplex'' or, colloquially, ''Mindel-Eiszeit'') is the third youngest glacial stage in the Alps. Its name was coined by Albrecht Penck and Eduard Brückner, who named it after the Swabi ...

, the Gave flowed through Pont-Long, an older dry valley on the north of the Ousse. The Ousse valley is separated from the Gave by

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

deposits dating from

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

. The Ousse meanders in its valley which has a very low slope. The drainage is improved by many ditches. Breeding is the main activity. The Ousse flows into the Gave in the town of Pau.

Départements and towns

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 ...

, Loubajac,

Barlest Barlest () is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune ...

, *

Pontacq Pontacq (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. The town is placed near the Ousse River valley and the Pyrenees, lying close to Lourdes, a pilgrimage site. The ...

Barzun Barzun may refer to: * Jacques Barzun Jacques Martin Barzun (; November 30, 1907 – October 25, 2012) was a French-born American historian known for his studies of the history of ideas and cultural history. He wrote about a wide range of subje ...

Livron Livron (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 545 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlanti ...

Espoey Espoey (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 545 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlanti ...

Gomer Gomer ( ''Gōmer''; ) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible ( Genesis 10). The eponymous Gomer, "standing for the whole ...

Soumoulou Soumoulou (; ) is a commune in the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France. It is from the Basque Coast and the beaches south of the Landes coast and from the ...

Nousty Nousty (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. The inhabitants of the town of Nousty are called ''Noustysiens'', ''Noustysiennes'' in French.Artigueloutan Artigueloutan (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, ...

Lée Lée () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. In 1973, it was merged into the commune Idron-Lée-Ousse-Sendets with three other communes: Idron, Ousse and Sendets. In 1989 the commune of Lée was recre ...

Idron Idron () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is an eastern suburb of Pau. In 1973, it was merged into the commune Idron-Lée-Ousse-Sendets (renamed Idron-Ousse-Sendets after Lée left the commune i ...

Bizanos Bizanos (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. Population Sports The home ground of local football club Pau FC, the Nouste Camp, is located in Bizanos. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atl ...

, Pau.

Main tributaries

* (R) Barrade or Oussère, at

* (L) Louroû, at

, from Labatmale

References

{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Hautes-Pyrénées Rivers of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)