The Roya ( French, ), Roia (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

), or Ròia (

Brigasc Brigasc is a dialect of the Ligurian language. It is spoken in Italy and France. Area of use The Brigasc dialect is spoken in La Brigue (France) and Briga Alta (Italy) and some villages of the communes of Ormea and Triora. It is very close ...

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

) is a river 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 ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, discharging into the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera ( Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient Ligures people. Geography The sea borders Italy as far as ...

. It is long, of which in France. 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 about , of which in France.Bassin versant : Roya (La)
Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA Ventimiglia

River course

The river rises in French territory near the

Col de Tende Col de Tende (; elevation 1870 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps, close to the border between France and Italy, although the highest section of the pass is wholly within France. Pass It separates the Maritime Alps from the Ligurian Alps. I ...

and flows through the

Mercantour National Park Mercantour National Park () a French national park located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments. Since it was created in 1979, the park has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors annually enjoying the 600 km (372&nb ...

. The river passes through the

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Tende Tende (; Italian language, Italian, Occitan language, Occitan and Royasc: ''Tenda'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Geography Tende is located within Mercanto ...

Saorge Saorge (; ; ; standard ; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Highway E74 which runs north from Me ...

Breil-sur-Roya Breil-sur-Roya (, literally ''Breil on Roya''; or simply ''Breglio''; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Geography Breil-sur-Roya as its name says is located on the scenic and fast movi ...

La Brigue La Brigue (; ; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. La Brigue became part of France after World War II, when Italy was forced to hand it over in September 1947 under the terms of the Peace of Paris. Be ...

, before entering Italy in the commune of Olivetta San Michele. The remainder of its course remains within the

province of Imperia The province of Imperia (; ; ) is a mountainous and hilly Provinces of Italy, province in the Liguria region of Italy, situated between France to the north and the west, and the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its capi ...

and, after crossing Airole the river enters the sea at

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

(1985), ''Atlas of the World: Comprehensive Edition'', Times Books, Plate 78 (C7). Its main tributaries are the

Lévensa The Lévensa is a mountain river that flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. It is long. It is a left tributary of the Roya, which it joins near Tende Tende (; Italian language, Italian, Occitan language, Occit ...

, the

Bévéra The Bévéra (in French, ) or Bevera (in Italian) (''Beura'' in Occitan and Ligurian) is a river of southeastern France and northwestern Italy. Geography Bévéra source is in the Maritime Alps, near Moulinet in the French Alpes-Maritimes de ...

, the Bendola, the Réfréi and the Maglia.

References

Rivers of France Rivers of Italy Rivers of Liguria Rivers of the Province of Imperia International rivers of Europe Rivers of Alpes-Maritimes Rivers of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Drainage basins of the Ligurian Sea Rivers of the Alps {{Italy-river-stub