Rhône

Rhône, river, south-eastern France, with a length of 813 km (505 mi). The principal river of the region, it rises in the Rhône Glacier in the Swiss Alps and flows generally south-west across southern Switzerland, entering the eastern end of Lake Geneva near Montreux, and leaving the western end of the lake at Geneva. It then follows a twisting course through the Jura Mountains of eastern France. At Lyon, where it is joined by the Saône River, the Rhône turns south and flows to the Gulf of Lion in the Mediterranean Sea. On this last section of its course the river flows through a valley that separates the uplands of the Massif Central on the west from the French Alps on the east. The river passes through Avignon, centre of a wine-growing industry famous for red wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Rhône forms a marshy delta at its mouth, part of which is known as the Camargue. This is an island created by an excess of sediment carried by the river. The Rhône splits around the island into the Grand and Petit Rhône; through these Bouches-du-Rhône, or “mouths of the Rhône”, the river enters the Gulf of Lion. Besides the Saône, other major tributaries include the Isère and Durance. Navigation on parts of the upper Rhône is difficult because of the river's generally steep gradient and its tendency to form sand bars. South of Lyon a series of dams and canals make the Rhône navigable to the port of Marseille, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea to the east of the river's mouth. To the north other canals and waterways connect the Rhône with the Rhine, Seine, and Loire rivers. The Rhône is also an important source of hydroelectric power.