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Concept
Durance
Summary
The Durance (dyʁɑ̃s; Durença in the Occitan classical norm or Durènço in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .
Its source is in the southwestern part of the Alps, in the Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon; it flows southwest through the following departments and cities:
Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.
Vaucluse: Cavaillon, Avignon.
Bouches-du-Rhône.
The Durance's largest tributary is the Verdon. The Durance itself is a tributary of the Rhône and flows into the Rhône near Avignon. The Durance is the second longest (after the Saône) of the tributaries of the Rhône and the third largest in terms of its flow (after the Saône and Isère).
The Durance is documented as Druentia (1st c. AD), Drouéntios (Δρουέντιος; 2nd c. AD), Durantia (854) and Durentia (1127). The name Dru-ent-ia probably means 'the flowing one', stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *dreu- ('to run, walk fast').
Similar names are found in the names of many rivers in the Western Alps: Dora in Italy, Dranse in Haute-Savoie, and the Drôme in south-eastern France. All these rivers have their sources in mountains, and are fast-running.
The Durance retains its name rather than either the Clarée or Guisane, even though the latter two are longer than the Durance when they each merge. The Durance is better known than the other two rivers because the Durance valley is an old and important trade route, whereas the valleys of the Clarée and Guisane are effectively dead ends.
The Durance is long from its source at the foot of Sommet des Anges, at high, above Montgenèvre, to its confluence with the Rhône. However, a longer route is traced by the Clarée-Durance system with a length of . Its descent is unusually rapid at 81 m/km (165 ft/mi) in its first , then 15 m/km (30 ft/mi) to its confluence with the Gyronde, and then still nearly 8 m/km (16 ft/mi) to the confluence with the Ubaye.
Official source
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