Rhône

Rhône
The Rhône in Lyon
Native name
Location
CountriesSwitzerland and France
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceRhône Glacier
  locationObergoms, Valais, Switzerland
  elevation2,208 m (7,244 ft)
MouthMediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lion)
  location
France
  coordinates
43°19′51″N 4°50′44″E / 43.33083°N 4.84556°E / 43.33083; 4.84556
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length813.69 km (505.60 mi)
Basin size98,000 km2 (38,000 sq mi)
Discharge 
  average1,710 m3/s (60,000 cu ft/s)
  minimum360 m3/s (13,000 cu ft/s)
  maximum13,000 m3/s (460,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  leftIsère, Durance
  rightAin, Saône

The Rhône (/rn/ ROHN, French: [ʁon] ; Occitan: Ròse; Arpitan: Rôno) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lion). At Arles, near its mouth, the river divides into the Great Rhône (French: le Grand Rhône) and the Little Rhône (le Petit Rhône). The resulting delta forms the Camargue region.

The river's source is the Rhône Glacier, at the east edge of the Swiss canton of Valais. The glacier is part of the Saint-Gotthard Massif, which gives rise to three other major rivers: the Reuss, Rhine and Ticino.

The Rhône is, with the Po and the Nile, one of the three Mediterranean rivers with the largest water discharge.