The Rhone River
Rhône River, a river of Switzerland and France and one of the larger rivers of Europe. It is slightly more than 500 miles (800 km) long, drains a basin of some 37,000 square miles (96,000 km2), and has the largest flow of any river in France. The Rhône begins at the Glacier, high in the Swiss Alps, and flows westerly in a majestic deep valley between the Bernese and Pennine Alps to Lake Geneva. At the city of Geneva, the river issues from the lake and flows westerly into France.
In France the Rhône winds its way through a series of narrow gorges just south of the Jura Mountains, receives the Ain River, and flows on to Lyon. Here, it is joined by its chief tributary, the Saône. From Lyon the river's course is southward to the Mediterranean Sea by way of a broad valley between the French Alps to the east and the Massif Central to the west. From the French Alps come other large tributaries, notably the Isère, Drôme, and Durance. At its delta, the Rhône divides into two main branches—the Grand Rhône and the Petit Rhône. Between them lies the flat, largely marshy island of La Camargue.
ImportanceThe valley of the Rhône, in both Switzerland and France, is a primary transportation route followed by major railways and roads. The Rhône-Saône valley in France has been a corridor between the Mediterranean and northern Europe since ancient times.
As an inland waterway the Rhône is of limited importance, partly because its delta is unnavigable. Traffic consists mainly of freight barges in the section between Lyon and Aries, at the head of the delta. A canal links Arles with the nearby port of Marseille. There is also shipping north of Lyon on the Saône. Numerous dams on the Rhône and its tributaries, especially in the Alps, provide abundant hydroelectric power.
Lyon is the largest and most industrialized French city on the river. Other French cities, in addition to Arles, include Vienne, Valence, and Avignon. Geneva and Lausanne, both on Lake Geneva, are the largest Swiss cities along the river's course.