Somme River

Somme
The Somme
Course in Northern France
Location
Country	France
Region	Picardy
Physical characteristics
Source
- location	Fonsommes
- coordinates	49°54′23″N03°24′11″E
- elevation	85 m (279 ft)
Mouth
- location	Saint-Valery-sur-Somme English Channel
- coordinates	50°11′10″N01°38′35″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)

TheSommeis ariverin the north ofFrance,in theHauts-de-Franceregion,and gives its name to the department calledSomme.

The name of the river is ofCelticorigins, and refers to the tranquility of the river over much of its course. The river is known for theBattle of the Somme,which was an important battle of theFirst World War.

Geography

The Somme river has a length of 245 km (152.2 mi),and adrainage basinwith an area of 6,550 km²(2,529 sq mi).

Course

Source of the Somme in Fonsomme

Thesourceof the Somme is in theFonsommecommune(Aisne), at analtitudeof about 86 m (282 ft).

The Somme passes through the departments and cities of:

• Aisne:Fonsomme,Saint-Quentin
• Somme:Ham,Péronne,Corbie,Amiens,Abbeville,Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

The Somme river flows through 49communes.

Finally, it flows into theEnglish ChannelnearSaint-Valery-sur-Somme.

Main tributaries

• Left tributaries
  • Avre - 66.2 km;
  • Selle - 38.9 km;
  • Saint-Landon - 13.2 km;
  • Airaines - 12.8 km;
• Right tributaries
  • Omignon - 32 km;
  • Cologne - 23.2 km;
  • Tortille - 16.1 km;
  • Ancre - 37.4 km;
  • Hallue - 15.8 km;
  • Nièvre - 22 km;
  • Scardon - 12.4 km;

Archaeology

Differentarcheologicalfinds have been discovered in its valley: TheAcheuleanculture is named after Saint-Acheul, asuburbof Amiens.Hand axesfrom thePalaeolithicperiod were found there, and gave this name to the respective period.

Related pages

• List of rivers of France

Other websites

• Banque Hydro - MEDDE, «Synthèse de la Banque Hydro»Archived2022-01-07 at theWayback Machine(in French)