Somme (river)
| Somme | |
|---|---|
The Somme | |
Somme basin with course in Northern France | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Picardy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Fonsommes |
| • coordinates | 49°54′23″N 03°24′11″E / 49.90639°N 3.40306°E |
| • elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Saint-Valery-sur-Somme English Channel |
• coordinates | 50°11′10″N 01°38′35″E / 50.18611°N 1.64306°E |
| Length | 245 km (152 mi) |
| Basin size | 6,550 km2 (2,530 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Abbeville |
| • average | 35 m3/s (1,200 cu ft/s) |
The Somme (UK: /sɒm/ SOM, US: /sʌm/ SUM; French: [sɔm] ⓘ) is a river in Picardy, northern France.
The river is 245 km (152 mi) in length, from its source in the high ground of the former Arrouaise Forest at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geological syncline which also forms the Solent. This gives it a fairly constant and gentle gradient where several fluvial terraces have been identified.