Rhone Basin

Description

The Rhône River, one of the major rivers in Western Europe, rises from the Rhone glacier at an altitude of 1 765 m. After flowing through Switzerland for 260 km, it enters France through Lake Leman. The river flows through France for 550 km before entering the Mediterranean Sea. The total area of the river basin is 98 000 km2, of which 8 000 km2 is in Switzerland. The main tributaries are the Ain (200 km), the Saône (450 km), and its tributary the Doubs (430 km), the Ardèche (112 km), the Gard (140 km), the Arve (100 km), the Isère (290 km), the Drôme (100 km) and the Durance (350 km).