RhOne, river, Switzerland and France, French Physical Geography

Related Category: French Physical Geography

RhOne, Lat. Rhodanus, river, 505 mi (813 km) long, rising in the RhOne glacier, NE Valais, Switzerland. It flows west through a narrow, flat valley that separates the Bernese Alps from the Pennine Alps and enters Lake Geneva near Montreux. Leaving the lake at Geneva, it enters E France and is joined by the SaOne River at Lyons. Now navigable, it flows S past Valence and Avignon and separates the Massif Central from the French Alps. At Arles, at the head of the RhOne delta, the river separates into the Grand RhOne and the Petit RhOne, which join the Mediterranean Sea W of Marseilles and enclose the island of Camargue. Both branches are silted, and a canal has been built connecting the RhOne with the port of Marseilles. With its impetuous Alpine tributaries (IsEre, DrOme, Durance, and others), the RhOne has the largest water flow of all French rivers. There are large hydroelectric power plants near Sion and Geneva (Switzerland); in France, the GEnissiat Dam and allied projects are of great economic importance. Almost the entire RhOne valley S of Lyons is covered with excellent vineyards and fruit and vegetable gardens; in the extreme south silkworms are cultivated for the Lyons textile factories, and olives and flowers are important products. The Compagnie National du RhOne sought to develop the RhOne for power production, irrigation and improved navigation; since the late 1970s the area south of Lyons has become navigable for barges of 3,000 to 5,000 tons. The RhOne-SaOne valley is a principal north-south communications route in France. An extensive canal system links the RhOne with other river systems. A series of canals linking the SaOne (the principal tributary of the RhOne north of Lyons) to the Rhine allows large barges to traverse Europe from the North Sea all the way to the Mediterranean. The RhOne valley is the cradle of ProvenCal culture.