 the mayenne is a river in western france principally located in the french region pays de la loire. together with the river sarthe and its tributary loir it forms the river maine, which is a tributary to the river loire. ==geography== its source is in the dÃ©partement orne, between prÃ©-en-pail and alenÃ§on near the commune of lalacelle. the source is in the foothills of mont des avaloirs at an altitude of 961 feet (293m) and from there runs from the east to the west until sept-forges, at which point it turns to the south. after being joined by the oudon, the mayenne forms a confluence with the sarthe north of angers. the confluence of these two rivers is called the maine, which is the local pronunciation of mayenne. the waters of the maine then empty into the loire south of angers. dÃ©partements and towns along the river include: * orne * mayenne: mayenne, laval, chÃ¢teau-gontier * maine-et-loire: chenillÃ©-changÃ©, chambellay, montreuil-sur-maine, le lion-d'angers, grez-neuville, pruillÃ©, la membrolle-sur-longuenÃ©e, feneu, montreuil-juignÃ©, cantenay-epinard, angers. it is featured prominently in the video game call of duty 3. ==navigation== in the 16th century several works were undertaken to make the mayenne navigable between chateau-gontier and laval. two ordinances of francis i, in 1536 and 1537, allowing the necessary works. this new route allowed wines from the loire valley to arrive in laval. important works were also undertaken from 1853 to 1868. in 1863, projects to deepen the river of the mayenne were undertaken. the mayenne is navigable from laval to the loire, and is canalized from laval to mayenne. in the 19th century, the river allowed the navigation of boats up to 140 tons (130 tonnes), and especially boats carrying construction materials (wood and stone), coal from the mines of l'huisserie, grains, fruits, and vegetables. ==flow== in spite of abundant precipitation, the flow of the mayenne is irregular because of the impermeability of the sandstone, granite, and schist which form its drainage basin. thus, for an average flow of  before the mayenne's confluence with the oudon, the yearly m
Loire_basin Rivers_of_France Rivers_of_Normandy