Arve

River in France

46°00′12″N 6°55′13″E / 46.00341°N 6.92029°E / 46.00341; 6.92029 • elevation1,516 m (4,974 ft) Mouth

• location

Rhône in Geneva

• coordinates

46°12′05″N 6°07′19″E / 46.20129°N 6.12197°E / 46.20129; 6.12197

• elevation

370 m (1,210 ft)Length108 km (67 mi)Basin size1,976 km² (763 sq mi)Discharge • average79 m³/s (2,800 cu ft/s) Basin featuresProgressionRhône→ Mediterranean Sea

The Arve (French: L'Arve, French pronunciation: [aʁv]) is a river in France (département of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is 108 km (67 mi) long,^[1] of which 9 km in Switzerland.^[2] Its catchment area is 1,976 km² (763 sq mi), of which 80 km² in Switzerland. Its average discharge in Geneva is 79 m³/s (2,800 cu ft/s).^[2]

Rising in the northern side of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps, close to the Swiss border, it receives water from the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley (mainly the Mer de Glace) before flowing north-west into the Rhône on the west side of Geneva, where its much higher level of silt brings forth a striking contrast between the two rivers.

The Arve flows through Chamonix, Sallanches, Oëx, Cluses, Bonneville, Annemasse and Geneva. Tributaries include, from source to mouth: Arveyron, Diosaz, Bon-Nant, Sallanche, Giffre, Borne, Menoge, Foron, Seymaz and Aire.^[1]

Gallery

the river Arve in a period of floodings as it joins the Rhone river in Jonction (Geneva)
The Arve (right) meets the Rhône in Geneva
The Arve in Chamonix

References

^ ^a ^b Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - L'Arve (V0--0200)".
^ ^a ^b "Fiche rivière no 7 : L'Arve" (2nd ed.). État de Genève, Département du territoire and Syndicat Mixte d’Aménagement de l’Arve et de ses Abords. November 2005.