Vienne (river)

The Vienne () is one of the most important rivers in southwestern France, a main left tributary of the lower Loire river. It supports numerous hydroelectric dams.
It flows through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Centre-Val de Loire regions, and two French "départements" are named after the Vienne: the Haute-Vienne (87) and the Vienne (86).
Geography.
The Vienne river has a length of and a drainage basin with an area of approximately .
Course.
The Vienne river starts in the department of the Corrèze, at the foot of "Mont Audouze", on the "Plateau de Millevaches", in the "commune" of Millevaches, at an elevation of about .
It then flows roughly west to the city of Limoges where its water was used in the famous Limoges porcelain industry. A little way after Limoges it takes a turn to the north.
Finally, the river flows into the Loire river, on the left side, in the "commune" Candes-Saint-Martin.
The Vienne flows through 6 departments and 96 "communes", in 2 regions:
The Vienne flows through three regional nature parks: "Parc naturel régional de Millevaches en Limousin", "Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin" and "Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine".
Main tributaries.
The main tributaries of the Vienne river are:
Left tributaries:
Right tributaries:
Hydrology.
Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is at Nouâtre in the Indre-et-Loire department.