Boutonne

The Boutonne is a river of western France that flows through the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime departments, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is a right tributary of the Charente river.

Geography
The Boutonne has a length of , and a drainage basin with an area of approximately .

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is  at Saint-Séverin-sur-Boutonne in the Charente-Maritime department, at an altitude of .

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Saint-Séverin-sur-Boutonne (1969-2017)

Course
The Boutonne starts in the southeast of the Deux-Sèvres department, in the commune of Chef-Boutonne (that is, "Head of the Boutonne"), at an elevation of about .

It flows to the west and, later, to the southwest through the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime departments before flowing, at almost right angle, into the Charente river in Cabariot at about  of altitude.

The Boutonne flows through 1 region (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), 2 departments and 41 communes; they are, from source to mouth:

 Deux-Sèvres: Chef-Boutonne (here is the source of the river), Fontenille-Saint-Martin-d'Entraigues, Chérigné, Lusseray, Brioux-sur-Boutonne, Vernoux-sur-Boutonne, Séligné, Brieuil-sur-Chizé, Villefollet, Villiers-sur-Chizé, Chizé, Le Vert (the last commune of Deux-Sèvres in the course of the river).
 Charente-Maritime: Dampierre-sur-Boutonne (the first commune where the Boutonne gets into the department), Saint-Séverin-sur-Boutonne, Coivert, Blanzay-sur-Boutonne, Saint-Georges-de-Longuepierre, Saint-Martial, Saint-Pierre-de-l'Isle, Nuaillé-sur-Boutonne, Saint-Pardoult, Les Églises-d'Argenteuil, Antezant-la-Chapelle, Vervant, Poursay-Garnaud, Courcelles, Saint-Julien-de-l'Escap, Saint-Jean-d'Angély (main city in the course of the river), Ternant, La Vergne, Voissay, Torxé, Les Nouillers, Tonnay-Boutonne, Puy-du-Lac, Archingeay, Saint-Coutant-le-Grand, Champdolent, Lussant, Cabariot (place where the river flows into the Charente river).

Seven communes have the name of the river in their names: Chef-Boutonne, Saint-Séverin-sur-Boutonne, Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, Tonnay-Boutonne, Blanzay-sur-Boutonne, Nuaillé-sur-Boutonne, Vernoux-sur-Boutonne.

Main tributaries 
The main tributaries of the Boutonne river are:

Left tributaries:
 Nie - 26 km

Right tributaries:
 Béronne - 29.5 km
 Belle - 25 km
 Trézence - 27.7 km, the main tributary of the Boutonne

Gallery

Related pages
 List of rivers of France

 References 

Other websites

 Banque Hydro - Station R6092920 - La Boutonne à Saint-Séverin-sur-Boutonne  

Category:Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine