Erdre

River in France

Erdre (French)
L'Edre (French)

LocationCountryFrancePhysical characteristicsSource • locationMaine-et-Loire Mouth

• location

Loire

• coordinates

47°12′42″N 1°32′22″W / 47.21167°N 1.53944°W / 47.21167; -1.53944Length97.4 km (60.5 mi)Basin size936 km² (361 sq mi)Discharge • average2.5 m³/s (88 cu ft/s) Basin featuresProgressionLoire→ Atlantic Ocean

The Erdre (French pronunciation: [ɛʁdʁ]; Breton: Erzh) is a 97.4 km (60.5 mi) long river in western France, right tributary to the Loire.^[1] Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire department, near La Pouëze. It flows through the departments Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. The Erdre meets the Loire in the city of Nantes. Other towns on the Erdre, going downstream, are Candé, Riaillé, Nort-sur-Erdre and Sucé-sur-Erdre.

South of Nort-sur-Erdre, the river flows through reclaimed marshland, and is up to a kilometer wide at the Plaine de Mazerolles near Sucé-sur-Erdre. At the Plaine de la Poupiniere, the Nantes-Brest canal joins the Erdre.

The Erdre flows into the Loire via the St Felix canal tunnel [fr] under Rue Henri IV, emerging near the main railway station. Its former course is a main road and shopping area, the Cours des Cinquante Otages.