The Vire () 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 ...

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

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 ...

whose course crosses the '' départements'' of Calvados and

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

, flowing through the towns of Vire,

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Isigny-sur-Mer Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department and Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of north-western Fra ...

, finally flowing out into the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. Its main tributaries are the Aure, the

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

and the Souleuvre. The outflow of the Vire has been canalized and forms the port of

Isigny-sur-Mer Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department and Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of north-western Fra ...

. The poets of the Vire valley (''Vau de Vire'') are said to have given rise to

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

. Places along the river: * Calvados (14) : Vire,

Pont-Farcy Pont-Farcy () is a Communes of France, former commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. Before 1 January 2018, it was part of the ...

(50) : Tessy-sur-Vire,

Troisgots Troisgots () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Condé-sur-Vire.Torigni-sur-Vire,

Condé-sur-Vire Condé-sur-Vire (, literally ''Condé on Vire'') is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Le Mesnil-Raoult was merged into Condé-sur-Vire. On 1 January 2017, the forme ...

, Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire,

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Rampan, Pont-Hébert, La Meauffe, Cavigny

Hydrology and water quality

The generally brownish waters of the Vire are moderately

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

having been tested by Lumina Tech as pH 8.31. The river waters are relatively

turbid Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wate ...

, with a

Secchi disc The Secchi disk (or Secchi disc), as created in 1865 by Angelo Secchi, is a plain white, circular disk in diameter used to measure water transparency or turbidity in bodies of water. The disc is mounted on a pole or line and lowered slowly dow ...

measurement of 12 centimetres.

Historical significance

At the turn of the 10th century, the territorial lands of the

Kingdom of Brittany The Kingdom of Brittany () was a short-lived vassal-state of the Frankish Empire that emerged during the Norse invasions. Its history begins in 851 with Erispoe's claim to kingship. In 856, Erispoe was murdered and succeeded by his cousin Sal ...

had been expanded up to the Vire by their king Alan I.

References

External links

* ''Atlas des Routes de France'', Solar Press: Donnees IGN (2007) * Rivers of France Rivers of Normandy Rivers of Calvados (department) Rivers of Manche 0Vire {{France-river-stub