Var (river)
River in France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Var (French: [vaʁ] ⓘ, Occitan: [ˈbaɾ]; Italian: Varo; Latin: Varus) is a river located in the southeast of France. It is 114 km (71 mi) long.[1] Its drainage basin is 2,812 km2 (1,086 sq mi).[2]
| Var | |
|---|---|
Rooftops of Entrevaux and the gorge of the Var | |
.png) | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Maritime Alps |
| • elevation | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Mediterranean Sea |
• coordinates | 43°39′13″N 7°11′59″E |
| Length | 114 km (71 mi) |
| Basin size | 2,812 km2 (1,086 mi2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 50 to 100 m3/s (1,800 to 3,500 cu ft/s) |
The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes département for most of its length, with a short (~15 km or ~9 mi) stretch in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département. It is a unique case in France of a river not flowing in the département named after it (see Var). This is the result of the Nice Préfecture being too small to be considered a département by itself in the administrative reshuffling of 1860.[3] Hence, some land had to be taken out of neighbouring Var region causing the eponymous département to lose its namesake.[4]
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the river had no bridges; it was the border between France and the County of Nice, then part of Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.
Name
The river name is attested in Latin as Vārus and in Ancient Greek as Ouãros (Οὐᾶρος). It stems from the Indo-European root *uōr- (earlier *uer-), meaning 'water, river' (cf. Sanskrit vār, Old Norse vari).[5]
Hydrography
The Var rises near the Col de la Cayolle (2,326 m/7,631 ft), located in the Parc National du Mercantour in the Maritime Alps.The river flows generally southeast to its outflow into the Mediterranean Sea between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. Its main tributaries are the Cians, the Tinée, the Vésubie, the Coulomp, the Estéron, the Tuébi, the Chalvagne, the Barlatte, the Bourdous and the Roudoule.[1]
The Var flows through the following départements and towns:
