Vendée (river)

The Vendée (US: /vɒ̃ˈd/, French: [vɑ̃de] (listen); Occitan: Vendèa) is a 82.5 km (51.3 mi) long river in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire regions in western France. It a right tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise.[1]

Vendée
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationDeux-Sèvres
  elevation206 m (676 ft)
Mouth 
  location
Sèvre Niortaise
  coordinates
46°19′21″N 0°57′47″W
Length82.5 km (51.3 mi)
Basin size675 km2 (261 sq mi)

Its source is near L'Absie, in the west of the Deux-Sèvres department. For a few kilometres, it forms the border between the departments of Vendée (named after the river) and Charente-Maritime, before it flows into the Sèvre Niortaise, near Marans.

The name is attested as Fluvium Vendre in the 10th century, and as Flumen Vendee and Vendeia by the 11th century. According to Pierre-Henri Billy, the name ultimately derives from the Celtic toponym *vindo- meaning white or brilliant in a sacred context (as in the Modern Welsh gwyn/wyn). The name likely originates in Proto-Celtic or Gaulish, but may also have originated in the Gallo or Old Breton languages.[2].

It flows through the following departments and towns:

References

  1. Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - Vendée (N---0120)".
  2. Pierre-Henri Billy, Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France, éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 ISBN 978-2-87772-449-4, p. 561.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.