Скачать или смотреть Rhône, Laveyron, Drôme, Rhône-Alpes, France, Europe

The Rhône is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhône and the Little Rhône (Petit Rhône). The resulting delta constitutes the Camargue region. The Rhône rises as an effluent of the Rhône Glacier in Valais, in the Swiss Alps, at an altitude of approximately 2,150 metres (7,050 ft). From there it flows south through Gletsch to the Goms.Shortly before reaching Brig, it receives the waters of the Massa from the Aletsch Glacier (the largest glacier in Europe). It flows onward through the valley which bears its name the valley which bears its name. This valley runs initially in a westerly direction about thirty kilometers to Leuk, then south-west about fifty kilometers to Martigny. Down as far as Brig, the Rhône is a torrent; it then becomes a great mountain river running southwest through a glacier valley. Between Brig and Martigny, it collects waters mostly from the valleys of the Pennine Alps to the south, whose rivers originate from the large glaciers of the massifs of Monte Rosa, Dom, and Grand Combin. At Martigny, where it receives the waters of the Dranse on its left bank, the Rhone river makes a strong turn towards the north. Going back to Lake Geneva, the valley narrows, a feature that has long given the Rhone valley strategic importance for the control of the Alpine passes. The Rhone then marks the boundary between the cantons of Valais (left bank) and Vaud (right bank), separating the Valais Chablais and Chablais Vaudois. It enters Lake Geneva near Le Bouveret. The average discharge from Lake Geneva is 251 m3/s (8,900 cu ft/s). After a course of 290 kilometers the Rhône leaves Switzerland. On a portion of its extent Lake Geneva marks the border between France and Switzerland. On the left bank of Lake Geneva the river receives the Morge River. This river marks the border between France (Haute-Savoie) and Switzerland (Valais). It enters Lake Geneva at Saint-Gingolph, a village on both sides of the border. On the right bank of the lake receives the Venoge (river) and the Morges River. Lake Geneva ends in Geneva, where the lake level is maintained by the Seujet dam. In Geneva, it receives the waters of the Arve from Mont Blanc. On leaving Switzerland, it enters the southern Jura Mountains. It then turns toward the south past the Bourget Lake which it is connected by the Savières channel.At Lyon, which is the biggest city along its course, the Rhône meets its biggest tributary. The Saône carries 400 m³/s and the Rhône itself 600 m³/s. From here the Rhône follows the southbound direction of the Saône. Along the Rhône Valley, it is joined on the right (western) bank by the rivers Eyrieux, Ardèche, Cèze, and Gardon coming from the Cévennes mountains; and on the left bank by the rivers Isère (350 m³/s), Drôme, Ouvèze, and Durance (188 m³/s) from the Alps. From Lyon, it flows south, between the Alps and the Massif Central. At Arles, the Rhône divides into two major arms forming the Camargue delta, both branches flowing into the Balearic Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea, the delta being termed the Rhône Fan. The larger arm is called the "Grand Rhône", the smaller the "Petit Rhône". The average annual discharge at Arles is 1,710 m3/s (60,000 cu ft/s). Before railroads and highways were developed, the Rhône was an important inland trade and transportation route, connecting the cities of Arles, Avignon, Valence, Vienne and Lyon to the Mediterranean ports of Fos, Marseille and Sète. Travelling down the Rhône by barge would take three weeks. By motorized vessel, the trip now takes only three days. The Rhône is classified as a class V waterway from the mouth of the Saône to the sea. The Saône, which is also canalized, connects the Rhône ports to the cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône. Smaller vessels (up to CEMT class I) can travel further northwest, north and northeast via the Centre-Loire-Briare and Loing Canals to the Seine, via the Canal de la Marne à la Saône (recently often called the "Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne") to the Marne, via the Canal des Vosges (formerly called the "Canal de l'Est -- Branche Sud") to the Moselle and via the Canal du Rhône au Rhin to the Rhine. The Rhône is infamous for its strong current when the river carries large quantities of water: current speeds up to 10 kilometres per hour (6 mph) are sometimes reached, particularly in the stretch below the last lock at Valabrègues and in some of the diversion canals. The ten river locks are operated daily from 05:00 a.m. until 09:00 p.m. Night operation can be requested and is usually granted.