View source for Rhône

{{short description|Major river in Switzerland and France}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Rhine}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Rhône
| native_name        = {{native name list|tag1=fr|name1=Le Rhône|tag2=wae|name2=Rotten|tag3=de|name3=die Rhone|tag=frp|name=Rôno|tag5=oc|name5=Ròse}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Vue du Rhône depuis le Pont Wilson (Lyon), mai 2019.jpg
| image_size         =
| image_caption      = The Rhône in [[Lyon]]
| map                = Rhone drainage basin.png
| map_size           = 230px
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 5
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Countries
| subdivision_name1  = Switzerland and France
| subdivision_type2 = Cities
| subdivision_name2 = {{hlist|[[Geneva]]|[[Lyon]]|[[Avignon]]|[[Arles]]}}
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = 
| subdivision_name5  = 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|813.69|km|mi|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= 
| discharge1_min     = {{convert|360|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|1710|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{convert|13000|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = [[Rhône Glacier]]
| source1_location   = [[Obergoms]], [[Valais]], Switzerland
| source1_coordinates=
| source1_elevation  = {{convert|2208|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth              = [[Mediterranean Sea]] ([[Gulf of Lion]])
| mouth_location     = France
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|43|19|51|N|4|50|44|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{convert|98000|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left   = [[Isère (river)|Isère]], [[Durance]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Ain (river)|Ain]], [[Saône]]
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}

The '''Rhône''' ({{IPAc-en|r|əʊ|n}} {{respell|ROHN}}, {{IPA|fr|ʁon|lang|Fr-Rhône-fr FR-Paris.ogg}}; [[Occitan language|Occitan]]: ''Ròse''; [[Franco-Provençal|Arpitan]]: ''Rôno'')<ref>{{langx|wae|Rotten}} {{IPA|wae|ˈrotən|}}; {{langx|frp|Rôno}} {{IPA|frp|ˈʁono|}}; {{langx|oc|Ròse}} {{IPA|oc|ˈrɔze, ˈʀɔze|}}</ref> is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the [[Alps]] and flowing west and south through [[Lake Geneva]] and Southeastern France before discharging into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] ([[Gulf of Lion]]). At [[Arles]], near its mouth, the river divides into the '''Great Rhône''' ({{langx|fr|le Grand Rhône|links=no}}; {{langx|oc|Grand Ròse|links=no}}) and the '''Little Rhône''' ({{lang|fr|le Petit Rhône}}; {{lang|oc|Pichon Ròse}}). The resulting [[River delta|delta]] forms the [[Camargue]] region.

The river's source is the [[Rhône Glacier]], at the eastern edge of the [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss canton]] of [[Valais]]. The glacier is part of the [[Saint-Gotthard Massif]], which gives rise to three other major rivers: the [[Reuss (river)|Reuss]], [[Rhine]] and [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]].

The Rhône is, with the [[Po (river)|Po]] and the [[Nile]], one of the three Mediterranean rivers with the largest [[Discharge (hydrology)|water discharge]].<ref name=Margat>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5CGAAAAIAAJ | title=Mediterranean Basin Water Atlas | publisher=[[UNESCO]] | author=Margat, Jean F. | year=2004 | pages=4 | isbn=9782951718159 |quote=There are few rivers with an abundant flow. Only three rivers have a mean discharge of more than 1000 m<sup>3</sup>/s: the Nile (at Aswan), the Rhône and the Po.}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The name ''Rhône'' continues the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Rhodanus}} name ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|Ῥοδανός}} {{transliteration|grc|ALA-LC|Rhodanós}}) in [[Greco-Roman geography]]. The [[Gaulish]] name of the river was {{lang|xtg|*Rodonos}} or {{lang|xtg|*Rotonos}} (from a [[Proto-Indo-European language|PIE]] root *''ret-'' "to run, roll" frequently found in river names).

Names in other languages include {{langx|de|Rhone}} {{IPA|de|ˈroːnə||de-Rhone.ogg}}; {{langx|wae|Rotten}} {{IPA|wae|ˈrotən|}}; {{langx|it|Rodano}} {{IPA|it|ˈrɔːdano|}}; {{langx|frp|Rôno}} {{IPA|frp|ˈʁono|}}; {{langx|oc|Ròse}} {{IPA|oc|ˈrɔze, ˈʀɔze|}}; and {{langx|rm|Rodan}}.

The Greco-Roman as well as the reconstructed Gaulish name is masculine, as is French {{lang|fr|le Rhône}}. This form survives in the Spanish/Portuguese and Italian namesakes, {{lang|es|el/o Ródano}} and {{lang|it|il Rodano}}, respectively. German has adopted the French name but given it the feminine gender, {{lang|de|die Rhone}}. The original German adoption of the Latin name was also masculine, {{lang|de|der Rotten}}; it survives only in the [[Upper Valais]] ([[Highest Alemannic|dialectal]] {{lang|wae|Rottu}}).

In French, the adjective derived from the river is {{lang|fr|rhodanien}}, as in {{lang|fr|le sillon rhodanien}} (literally "the furrow of the Rhône"), which is the name of the long, straight [[Saône]] and Rhône river valleys, a deep cleft running due south to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] and separating the [[Alps]] from the [[Massif Central]].

== Navigation ==
Before railroads and highways were developed, the Rhône was an important inland trade and transportation route, connecting the cities of [[Arles]], [[Avignon]], [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]], [[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]] and [[Lyon]] to the Mediterranean ports of [[Fos-sur-Mer]], [[Marseille]] and [[Sète]]. Travelling down the Rhône by barge would take three weeks. By motorized vessel, the trip now takes only three days. The Rhône is classified as a [[Classification of European Inland Waterways|Class V waterway]] for the {{cvt|325|km|mile|adj=mid|-long}} section from the mouth of the [[Saône]] at Lyon to the sea at [[Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône]].<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-bassin-sa%C3%B4ne-rh%C3%B4ne-8/voie-rh%C3%B4ne-121 Fluviacarte], Rhône</ref> Upstream from Lyon, a {{cvt|149|km}} section of the Rhône was made navigable for small ships up to [[Seyssel, Ain|Seyssel]]. {{as of|2017}}, the part between Lyon and [[Sault-Brénaz]] is closed for navigation.<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-8/voie--120 Fluviacarte], Haut Rhône</ref>

The Saône, which is also canalized, connects the Rhône ports to the cities of [[Villefranche-sur-Saône]], [[Mâcon]] and [[Chalon-sur-Saône]]. Smaller vessels (up to [[Classification of European Inland Waterways|CEMT class I]]) can travel further northwest, north and northeast via the [[Canal du Centre (France)|Centre]]-Loire-Briare and Loing Canals to the [[Seine]], via the Canal de la Marne à la Saône (recently often called the "[[Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne]]") to the [[Marne (river)|Marne]], via the [[Canal des Vosges]] (formerly called the "Canal de l'Est – Branche Sud") to the [[Moselle (river)|Moselle]] and via the [[Rhône–Rhine Canal|Canal du Rhône au Rhin]] to the [[Rhine]].

The Rhône is infamous for its strong current when the river carries large quantities of water: current speeds up to {{cvt|10|km/h}} are sometimes reached, particularly in the stretch below the last lock at [[Vallabrègues]] and in the relatively narrow first diversion canal south of Lyon. The 12 locks are operated daily from 5:00&nbsp;a.m. until 9:00&nbsp;p.m. All operation is centrally controlled from one control centre at Châteauneuf. Commercial barges may navigate during the night hours by authorisation.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Inland Waterways of France|last=Edwards-May|first=David|publisher=Imray|year=2010|isbn=978-1-846230-14-1|location=St Ives, Cambs., UK|pages=210–220}}</ref>

==Course==
{{see also|Vallée du Rhône (France)}}
[[File:Rhonegletscher by Jan Schick (@janschickvlogs).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6|The [[Source (river or stream)|source]] of the Rhône, at the foot of the [[Rhône Glacier]], above [[Oberwald]]]]

The Rhône begins as the [[meltwater]] of the [[Rhône Glacier]] in [[Valais]], in the [[Swiss Alps]], at an altitude of approximately {{convert|2208|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite map|url=https://s.geo.admin.ch/67a6ef8535 |year=2013 |format=online map |title=Rhône source |publisher=Swiss Federal Office for Topography, swisstopo |map-url=http://www.toposhop.admin.ch/en/shop/products/maps/national/n50 |map=255 Sustenpass |series=National Map 1:50 000 – 78 sheets and 25 composites |edition=2015|scale=1:50 000 |cartography=Swiss Federal Office for Topography, swisstopo |location=Berne, Switzerland |language=de |isbn=978-3-302-00255-2 |access-date=2015-10-18}}</ref> From there it flows southwest through [[Gletsch]] and the Goms, the uppermost valley region of the Valais before [[Brig, Switzerland|Brig]]. In the Brig area, it receives the waters of the [[Massa (river)|Massa]] from the [[Aletsch Glacier]], the longest glacier of the Alps, and shortly after, it receives the waters of the [[Vispa]], the longest affluent in Valais. After that, it flows onward through the valley which bears its name and runs initially in a westerly direction about thirty kilometers to [[Leuk]], then southwest about fifty kilometers to [[Martigny]].

Down as far as [[Brig, Switzerland|Brig]], the Rhône is a torrent; it then becomes a great mountain river running southwest through a glacial valley. Between Brig and [[Martigny, Switzerland|Martigny]], it collects waters mostly from the valleys of the [[Pennine Alps]] to the south, whose rivers originate from the large glaciers of the massifs of [[Monte Rosa]], [[Dom (Mischabel)|Dom]], and [[Grand Combin]], but also from the steeper slopes of the [[Bernese Alps]] to the north, and the [[Mont Blanc massif]] to the west. As a result, the Rhône Valley experiences a drier climate [[Climate of Switzerland|than the rest of Switzerland]], being sheltered by the three highest ranges of the Alps, making Valais the driest and largest wine region of the country.<ref>[https://swisswine.ch/en/news/amazing-swiss-wine-regions-discover Amazing Swiss wine regions to discover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422134303/https://swisswine.ch/en/news/amazing-swiss-wine-regions-discover |date=2021-04-22 }}, swisswine.ch. ("Valais is Switzerland's largest wine producer. It is renowned for its sunny and dry microclimate. The vineyards line the north slopes of the Rhone valley, rising up narrow, steep terraces and overlooked by snow covered peaks.")</ref>

[[File:Rhône supérieur bassin 1.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|The Rhône flowing through the valleys of the [[Swiss Alps]] and arriving into [[Lake Geneva]], in Switzerland]]
At Martigny, where it receives the waters of the [[Drance]] on its left bank, the Rhône makes a sharp turn towards the north. Heading toward [[Lake Geneva]] ({{Langx|fr|Le Léman}}), the valley narrows near [[Saint-Maurice, Switzerland|Saint-Maurice]], a feature that has long given the Rhône valley strategic importance for the control of the Alpine passes. The Rhône then marks the boundary between the [[Swiss canton|cantons]] of Valais (left bank) and [[Canton of Vaud|Vaud]] (right bank), separating two parts of the historical region of [[Chablais]]. It then enters Lake Geneva near [[Le Bouveret]], where the water flows west.

On the left (south) bank of Lake Geneva, the river Morge joins at the village of [[Saint-Gingolph]], and also marks the French-Swiss border. Westward, the [[Dranse (Haute-Savoie)|Dranse]] (unrelated to the Drance) enters the lake with its preserved [[Delta de la Dranse National Nature Reserve|delta]], and then the [[Hermance (river)|Hermance]] marks another French-Swiss border. Between the Morge and Hermance, the lake is divided by the two countries along its centreline, with the left bank in France. The remainder of the lake is Swiss, including the entire right (north) bank. Here, the tributaries are the [[Veveyse (river)|Veveyse]], the [[Venoge (river)|Venoge]], the [[Aubonne (river)|Aubonne]], the [[Morge (tributary of the Rhône)|Morges]], among other smaller rivers.

Lake Geneva ends in the [[Geneva|city of Geneva]], where the lake level is controlled by the {{Interlanguage link|Barrage_du_Seujet|lt=Le Seujet dam|fr}}. The average [[discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] from Lake Geneva is {{convert|251|m3/s|ft3/s|lk =in|sigfig= 2}}.<ref name=fiche9>{{cite web|url=https://www.ge.ch/document/12756/annexe/7|title=Fiche rivière no 9 : Le Rhône|publisher=État de Genève, Département du territoire|date=March 2001}}</ref> Below the dam, the Rhône receives the waters of the [[Arve]], fed by the [[Mont Blanc massif|Mont Blanc]] massif, with a visibly higher [[Stream load|sediment load]] and much lower temperature.

After a total of {{convert|290|km|mi}} in Switzerland, the Rhône continues west, entering France and the southern [[Jura Mountains]]. It turns toward the south, past [[Lac du Bourget|Lac de Bourget]], which the Rhône drains via the [[Canal de Savières]]. Continuing generally westward, the Rhône then receives the waters of the [[Valserine]], enters the reservoir created by the [[Génissiat Dam]], and is then joined by the [[Ain (river)|Ain]].

[[File:Rhone River SPOT 1296.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Mouth of the Rhône]]
Reaching [[Lyon]], the most populous city on its course, the Rhône receives its biggest tributary, the [[Saône]], with an average flow of {{cvt|473|m3/s|cuft/s}}, compared to the Rhône's {{cvt|600|m3/s|cuft/s}} at this point.<ref name=fiche9/> From this confluence, the Rhône follows a southward course. Along the Rhône Valley, it is joined on the right (western) bank by the rivers [[Eyrieux]], [[Ardèche (river)|Ardèche]], [[Cèze]], and [[Gardon]] coming from the [[Cévennes|Cévennes mountains]]; and on the left bank by the rivers [[Isère (river)|Isère]], (with an average discharge of {{cvt|333|m3/s|cuft/s}}),<ref name=fiche9/> [[Drôme (river)|Drôme]], [[Ouvèze]], and [[Durance]] ({{cvt|188|m3/s|cuft/s}}) from the Alps.

From Lyon, the Rhône flows south, in its large valley between the Alps and the [[Massif Central]]. At [[Arles]], the Rhône divides into two major arms forming the [[Camargue]] [[river delta|delta]], both branches flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, the delta being termed the Rhône Fan. The larger arm is called the "Grand Rhône", the smaller the "Petit Rhône". The average annual discharge at [[Beaucaire, Gard|Beaucaire]] is {{cvt|1700|m3/s|ft3/s|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=fiche9/>

===Tributaries===
The main tributaries of the Rhône are, from source to mouth:<ref name=sandre>{{sandre|id=V---0000|nom=Le Rhône}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Massa (river)|Massa]] (right)
*[[Vispa]] (left)
*[[Navizence]] (left)
*[[Sionne (river)|Sionne]] (left)
*[[Drance]] (left)
*[[Trient (river)|Trient]] (left)
*[[Venoge (river)|Venoge]] (right, Lake Geneva)
*[[Dranse (Haute-Savoie)|Dranse]] (left, Lake Geneva)
*[[Aubonne (river)|Aubonne]] (right, Lake Geneva)
*[[Hermance (river)|Hermance]] (left, Lake Geneva)
*[[Versoix (river)|Versoix]] (right, Lake Geneva)
*[[Arve]] (left)
*[[Allondon]] (right)
*[[Valserine]] (right)
*[[Fier (river)|Fier]] (left)
*[[Guiers]] (left)
*[[Bourbre]] (left)
*[[Ain (river)|Ain]] (right)
*[[Saône]] (right)
*[[Gier (river)|Gier]] (right)
*[[Gère]] (left)
*[[Galaure]] (left)
*[[Doux (river)|Doux]] (right)
*[[Isère (river)|Isère]] (left)
*[[Eyrieux]] (right)
*[[Drôme (river)|Drôme]] (left)
*[[Ardèche (river)|Ardèche]] (right)
*[[Cèze]] (right)
*[[Aigues]] (left)
*[[Ouvèze]] (left)
*[[Durance]] (left)
*[[Gardon]] (right)
{{div col end}}

==History==

The Rhône has been an important highway since the times of the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. It was the main trade route from the Mediterranean to east-central [[Gaul]].<ref name="Freeman">{{cite book|last=Freeman|first=Philip|title=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia|editor=John T. Koch|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|volume=I|pages=901|isbn=1-85109-440-7}}</ref> As such, it helped convey Greek cultural influences to the western [[Hallstatt culture|Hallstatt]] and the later [[La Tène culture|La Tène]] cultures.<ref name="Freeman" /> [[Celts|Celtic]] tribes living near the Rhône included the [[Seduni]], Sequani, [[Segobriges]], [[Allobroges]], [[Segusiavi]], [[Helvetii]], [[Vocontii]] and [[Volcae Arecomici]].<ref name="Freeman" />

Navigation was difficult, as the river suffered from fierce currents, shallows, floods in spring and early summer when the ice was melting, and droughts in late summer. Until the 19th century, passengers travelled in ''coches d'eau'' (water coaches) drawn by men or horses, or under sail. Most travelled with a painted cross covered with religious symbols as protection against the hazards of the journey.<ref name="McKnight2005">{{cite book |last=McKnight |first=Hugh |title=Cruising French Waterways |publisher=Sheridan House |edition=4th |date=September 2005 |isbn=978-1-57409-210-3}}</ref>

Trade on the upper river used ''barques du Rhône'', sailing barges, {{convert|30|by|3.5|m|ft|0}}, with a {{convert|75|t|lb|adj=on}} capacity. As many as 50 to 80 horses were employed to haul trains of five to seven craft upstream. Goods would be transshipped at Arles into {{convert|23|m|adj=on}} sailing barges called ''allèges d'Arles'' for the final run down to the Mediterranean.

The first experimental [[steam boat]] was built at Lyon by [[Jouffroy d'Abbans]] in 1783. Regular services were not started until 1829 and they continued until 1952. Steam passenger vessels {{convert|80|to(-)|100|m|ft}} long made up to {{convert|20|km/h|kn|abbr=on}} and could do the downstream run from Lyon to Arles in a day. Cargo was hauled in ''bateau-anguilles'', boats {{convert|157|by|6.35|m|ft}} with paddle wheels amidships, and ''bateaux crabes'', a huge toothed "claw"wheel {{convert|6.5|m|ft|0}} across to grip the river bed in the shallows to supplement the paddle wheels. In the 20th century, powerful motor barges propelled by diesel engines were introduced, carrying {{convert|1500|t|lb}}.

In 1933, the [[Compagnie Nationale du Rhône]] (CNR) was established to improve navigation and generate electricity, also to develop irrigated agriculture and to protect the riverside towns and land from flooding. Some progress was made in deepening the navigation channel and constructing scouring walls, but [[World War II]] brought such work to a halt. In 1942, following the collapse of [[Vichy France]], Italian military forces occupied southeastern France up to the eastern banks of the Rhône, as part of the Italian Fascist regime's expansionist agenda.

=== Postwar development ===
In 1948, the French government started construction of a series of dams and diversion canals, with a navigation lock beside the hydroelectric power plant on each of these canals. The locks were up to {{convert|23|m}} deep. After building the [[Génissiat dam]] on the Upper Rhône (with no lock) in 1948,<ref>{{cite book |title=Civil Engineering, Volume 43 |publisher=Morgan-Grampian |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWQnAQAAMAAJ&q=%22completed+and+on+january+15th%2C+1948%22 |year=1948 |quote=In 1933 a state-controlled company was formed in France with the object of undertaking the planning and execution of extensive development works on the Rhône. Of these Génissiat works, the Génissiat dam and Dam power station are the most important. Started in February 1937, the construction of the dam has now been completed and on January 15th, 1948, was commenced the operation of filling the dam with water, which extended over six days.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Far Eastern Economic Review Interactive Edition, Volume 25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WvEnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Génissiat+dam%22+%221948%22 |publisher=Review Publishing Company Limited |year=1958 |page=7 |quote=The Génissiat dam is a powerful structure, 360 feet high and 470 feet wide, which locks the Rhône near the town of Bellegarde and stores more than two billion cubic feet of water. With this water, 5 generators of 90,000 H.P. produce 1,700 million kWh. annually. The structure, which was started in 1937 and completed in 1948, was only the first phase of a gigantic project involving the ultimate}}</ref> designed to meet the electricity needs of Paris, twelve hydroelectric plants and locks were built between 1964 and 1980. With a total head of {{cvt|162|m}}, they produce 13&nbsp;GWh of electricity annually, or 16% of the country's total hydroelectric production (20% if the Upper Rhône schemes are added). There have been significant benefits for agriculture throughout the Rhône valley.

With the Lower Rhône project completed, CNR turned its attention to the Haut-Rhône (Upper Rhône), and built four [[hydropower]] dams in the 1980s: Sault-Brénaz, Brégnier-Cordon, Belley-Brens and Chautagne. It also drew up plans for the high-capacity Rhine-Rhône Waterway, along the route of the existing [[Rhone–Rhine Canal|Canal du Rhône au Rhin]], but this project was abandoned in 1997. In the period from 2005 to 2010, navigation locks of small barge dimensions (40 by 6 m) were built to bypass the last two, forming a navigable waterway network with Lake Bourget, through the [[Canal de Savières]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-east/river-rhone/ |title=Information about the 310km long river Rhône from Lyon to the Mediterranean, Summary |work=French Waterways |access-date=June 10, 2020 }}</ref>

==Along the Rhône==
Cities and towns along the Rhône include:

===Switzerland===
[[File:Rhône.jpg|thumb|[[Pont du Mont-Blanc]] in [[Geneva]], marking the outflow from [[Lake Geneva]] (right)]]
*[[Oberwald]] ([[Valais]])
*[[Fiesch]] ([[Valais]])
*[[Brig, Switzerland|Brig]] (Valais)
*[[Visp]] (Valais)
*[[Leuk]] (Valais)
*[[Sierre]] (Valais)
*[[Sion, Switzerland|Sion]] (Valais)
*[[Saint-Maurice, Switzerland|St. Maurice]] (Valais)
*see [[Lake Geneva]] for a list of Swiss and French towns around the lake
*[[Geneva]] ([[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]])

===France===
[[File:Pont boucle.jpg|thumb|The Rhône in [[Lyon]] under the old Boucle's Bridge]]
[[File:France Avignon Total 1.jpg|thumb|The Rhône at [[Avignon]] (with [[Mont Ventoux]] in the background and the [[Palais des Papes|Palace of the Popes]] on the right)]]
*[[Lyon]], ([[Rhône (département)]])
*[[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]] ([[Isère]])
*[[Tournon-sur-Rhône]] ([[Ardèche]]) opposite [[Tain-l'Hermitage]] ([[Drôme]])
*[[Valence, Drôme|Valence]] (Drôme) opposite [[Saint-Péray]] and [[Guilherand-Granges]] (Ardèche)
*[[Montélimar]] (Drôme) opposite [[Le Teil]] and [[Rochemaure]] (Ardèche)
*[[Viviers, Ardèche|Viviers]] (Ardèche)
*[[Bourg-Saint-Andéol]] (Ardèche)
*[[Pont-Saint-Esprit]] ([[Gard]])
*[[Roquemaure, Gard|Roquemaure]] (Gard) opposite [[Châteauneuf-du-Pape]] ([[Vaucluse]])
*[[Avignon]] (Vaucluse) opposite [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]] (Gard)
*[[Beaucaire, Gard|Beaucaire]] (Gard) opposite [[Tarascon]] ([[Bouches-du-Rhône]])
*[[Vallabrègues]] (Gard)
*[[Arles]] (Bouches-du-Rhône)

[[File:Rhone bassin topo.png|upright=3|thumb|center|Almost all tributaries more than {{cvt|36|km}} long. The portion of the Rhône above [[Brig-Glis]] is labelled by its native [[Walser German|Walliser German]] name, ''Rotten'']]
{{clear}}

==See also==

* [[List of rivers of Europe]]
** [[List of rivers of France]]
** [[List of rivers of Switzerland]]
* [[Berges du Rhône]]
* [[Rhône (département)]]
* [[Rhône (wine region)]]
* [[Witenwasserenstock]] (triple watershed: Rhône-Rhine-Po)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation | last=Champion | first=Maurice | year=1858–1864 | title=Les inondations en France depuis le VIe siècle jusqu'a nos jours (6 Volumes) | publisher=V. Dalmont | place=Paris | language=fr }} Scans: [https://archive.org/details/lesinondationse00chamgoog Volume 3 (1861)] (''Bassin du Rhône'' starts at page 185), [https://archive.org/details/lesinondationse05chamgoog Volume 4 (1862)].
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Rhone (river) | volume= 23 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge| pages = 271&ndash;272 }}
*{{citation | last= Pardé | first= Maurice | year=1925 | title= Le régime du Rhône | journal= Revue de géographie alpine | volume=13 | number=13–3 | pages=459–547 | doi= 10.3406/rga.1925.4941 | language=fr | url=http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rga_0035-1121_1925_num_13_3_4941 }}.
*{{citation |author-link1=Sara B. Pritchard | last=Pritchard | first=Sara B. | year=2011 | title=Confluence: The Nature of Technology and the Remaking of the Rhône | publisher=Harvard University Press | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | isbn=978-0-674-04965-9 }} A social, environmental, and technological history of the transformation of the river since 1945.

==External links==
{{Commons|Rhône River}}
* [http://www.inforhone.fr/inforhone/en/commun/index.aspx InfoRhône]—Navigation and river conditions
* [https://www.cnr.tm.fr/en/Default.aspx CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône)]—The Rhône Authority; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019125427/http://www.cnr.tm.fr/en/Default.aspx |date=2013-10-19 }}
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-east/river-rhone/ Rhône], [https://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-east/petit-rhone/ Petit-Rhône], and [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-east/haut-rhone/ Haut-Rhône] guides, with maps, detailed plans and information on places, moorings and facilities by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/canals-rivers-france/ Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals]—French waterways website section
* [http://www.rhone-mediterranee.eaufrance.fr/ The Rhône-Mediterranean page of EauFrance]
* [http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_waterways.shtml Waterways in France]

{{Rivers of France}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhone}}
[[Category:Rhône| ]]
[[Category:Rhône basin| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in France]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of Ain]]
[[Category:Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bouches-du-Rhône]]
[[Category:Rivers of Drôme]]
[[Category:Rivers of France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Gard]]
[[Category:Rivers of Haute-Savoie]]
[[Category:Rivers of Isère]]
[[Category:Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)]]
[[Category:Rivers of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
[[Category:Rivers of Rhône (department)]]
[[Category:Rivers of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Rivers of the canton of Geneva]]
[[Category:Rivers of Valais]]
[[Category:Rivers of Vaud]]
[[Category:Tributaries of Lake Geneva]]
[[Category:Valais–Vaud border]]