The Tarn (; , , possibly meaning 'rapid' or 'walled in') is a long

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 ...

in the administrative region of Occitania in southern

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 is a right

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Garonne. The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an elevation of on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains (part of the Massif Central), through the deep gorges and canyons of the Gorges du Tarn that cuts through the Causse du Larzac, to Moissac in

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn (river), Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its n ...

, where it joins the Garonne, downstream from the centre of town. Its basin covers approximately , and it has a mean flow of approximately . The

Millau Viaduct The Millau Viaduct (, ) is a multispan cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the Canyon, gorge valley of the Tarn (river), Tarn near (west of) Millau in the Aveyron department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region, i ...

spans the valley of the Tarn near

Millau Millau (; ) is a commune in Occitania, France. Located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers, the town is a subprefecture of the Aveyron department. Millau is known for its Viaduct, glove industry and several nearby natural ...

, and is now one of the area's most popular attractions.

Main tributaries

The tributaries of the Tarn include: * Agout (in Saint-Sulpice) *

Alrance Alrance (; ) is a commune in France, commune in the Aveyron Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie region of southern France. Geography Alrance is located some 30 km west of Millau and about 5 ...

Aveyron Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...

(near

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

) * Cernon * Dourbie (in

) * Dourdou de Camarès * Jonte (in Le Rozier) * Lemboulas * Lumensonesque * Muze * Rance (near Trébas) * Tarnon (in Florac) * Tescou The Tarn separates the Narbonne and

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

basins.

Departments and cities

The Tarn passes through the following departments and towns: *

Lozère Lozère (; ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the ...

: Le Pont-de-Montvert, Sainte-Enimie *

* Tarn: Albi, Gaillac, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Rabastens * Haute-Garonne: Villemur-sur-Tarn *

, Moissac. The

, the tallest bridge in the world, carrying the A75 autoroute across the Tarn Gorge near Millau, opened in December 2004. The Tarn is famous for its brutal floods, which are the most dangerous in Europe along with the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. The floods of March 1930 saw the Tarn rise more than above its normal level in

in just 24 hours, with a discharge of (the average discharge of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

is ; the average discharge of the Nile during the traditional annual flooding before the building of the

Aswan Dam The Aswan Dam, or Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, surpassing the Chatuge D ...

was ; the average discharge of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

is ). One third of the

department was flooded, about 300 people died, thousands of houses were destroyed, the low-lying districts of Montauban were destroyed, and the town of Moissac was almost entirely destroyed.

Navigation

The Tarn was once navigable from its junction with the Garonne to Corbarieu, near

. This stretch of river included seven river locks over a distance of . The canal was linked to the Canal de Garonne in Moissac by a branch lock upstream of the first river lock, and again, via the Canal de Montech, at Montauban. The two access points from the Canal de Garonne have both been restored, and boats can again access the immediate reaches of the river at these points. Additionally the first river lock, between Moissac and the Garonne itself, has been flooded by the barrage for the Golfech power station on the Garonne, and is permanently open to boats which can thus reach the Garonne and navigate a short distance of that river. The remaining six river locks are disused and unnavigable. A proposal exists to restore the five river locks between Moissac and Montauban, thus creating a waterway ring consisting of the Tarn from Moissac to Montauban, the Canal de Montech to Montech and the Canal de Garonne back to Moissac.

References

External links

French Waterways - River Tarn
Navigation guide to the lower *http://www.gorgesdutarn.net/?lang=en {{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) Rivers of Lozère Rivers of Aveyron Rivers of Tarn (department) Rivers of Haute-Garonne Rivers of Tarn-et-Garonne

Main tributaries

Departments and cities

Navigation

See also

References

External links