Loir

The Loir is a river in central France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. It flows through two regions of France: Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire

The Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher departments are named after this river.

Geography
The Loir is  long. Its drainage basin covers .

Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is  at Durtal, Maine-et-Loire (1961 - 2017).

Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Durtal

Course
The Loir starts in the former province of Perche, in the commune of Champrond-en-Gâtine, Eure-et-Loir department, Centre-Val de Loire region. It starts at an altitude of about .

The Loir flows, in general, to the southwest. It goes through the following regions, departments and communes:

 Centre-Val de Loire region
 Eure-et-Loir: Alluyes, Illiers-Combray, Bonneval, La Chapelle-du-Noyer, Châteaudun, Cloyes-sur-le-Loir, Donnemain-Saint-Mamès, Douy, Marboué, Moléans, Montboissier, Montigny-le-Gannelon, Romilly-sur-Aigre, Saint-Avit-les-Guespières, Saint-Christophe, Saint-Denis-les-Ponts, Saint-Éman (sources), Saint-Hilaire-sur-Yerre, Saint-Maur-sur-le-Loir, Saumeray, Le Thieulin.
 Loir-et-Cher: Areines, Artins, Brevainville, Couture-sur-Loir, Fréteval, Lavardin, Les Roches-l'Évêque, Lignières, Lisle, Mazangé, Meslay, Montoire-sur-le-Loir, Morée, Naveil, Pezou, Saint-Firmin-des-Prés, Saint-Hilaire-la-Gravelle, Saint-Jacques-des-Guérets, Saint-Jean-Froidmentel ; Saint-Martin-des-Bois, Saint-Ouen, Tréhet, Villiers-sur-Loir, Vendôme, Thoré-la-Rochette.
 Pays de la Loire region
 Sarthe: Poncé-sur-le-Loir, Ruillé-sur-Loir, La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, Lhomme, Chahaignes, Marçon, Dissay-sous-Courcillon, Château-du-Loir, Vaas, Le Lude, La Flèche.
 Maine-et-Loire : Durtal, Seiches-sur-le-Loir, Villevêque, Soucelles, Briollay.

At its end, the Loir flows into the Sarthe river at the place called Bec du Loir ("beak of the Cher")The French word bec (beak or bill in English) means, in this and similar cases, the confluence of two rivers. in Briollay, Maine-et-Loire department, at  of altitude.

Main tributaries
The main tributaries of the Loir are:

Left tributaries:
 Conie - 32.4 km
 Aigre - 30.8 km
 Houzée - 20.8 km
 Dême - 32.5 km
 Fare - 36.9 km
 Maulne - 29.3 km
 Marconne - 20.9 km

Right tributaries:
 Thironne - 26 km
 Foussarde - 30.5 km
 Ozanne - 44 km
 Yerre - 48.7 km
 Egvonne - 24.2 km
 Braye - 75.1 km
 Veuve - 26.2 km
 Aune - 29.8 km
 Argance - 19.7 km

Gallery

Related pages
 List of rivers of France

Notes

 References 

Category:Rivers of Centre-Val de Loire
Category:Rivers of Pays de la Loire