Garonne

Garonne (anc. Garumna), the principal river in the south-west of France, rises within the Spanish frontier in the Val d'Aran, at the base of Mount Maladetta, in the Pyrenees, 6142 feet above sea-level. About 26 miles from its source it enters the French territory in the department of Haute Garonne, flows in a general north-east course to Toulouse, then bends to the north-west, and continues to flow in that direction until, joined by the Dordogne, about 20 miles below Bordeaux, and widening afterwards into the estuary which bears the name of the Gironde, it enters the Atlantic at the Pointe de Grave. The estuary, the largest in France, is nearly 50 miles long. The total length of the river is about 346 miles; it drains an area of some 22,020 sq. m. Its navigation, which, however, is much impeded above Toulouse, commences for small craft at Cazères; ocean steamers go up to Bordeaux. Its principal affluents are the Tarn, Lot, and Dordogne, on the right; and on the left, the Save, Gers, and Baïse. At Toulouse it is joined by the Canal du Midi, which, running eastward to the Mediterranean, forms with the Garonne a means of communication between that sea and the Atlantic; and the river's own canal latéral, starting also from Toulouse, runs along the right bank, receives the Montauban Canal, and spans several streams in its course, crossing the Garonne itself at Agen by a magnificent viaduct, and returning to the river at Castets, after a total length of 120 miles. The valley of the Garonne is noted for the beauty of its scenery, but is liable to destructive inundations, the most memorable being that of 1875, when damage to the amount of 85 million francs was caused.