Var (river)
{{About|river in southern France|river in Romania|Var (Olt)}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Var
| name_native =
| name_native_lang =
| image = Entrevaux-rooftops.jpg
| image_caption = Rooftops of Entrevaux and the gorge of the Var
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 7
| source1_location = Maritime Alps
| mouth_location = Mediterranean Sea
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|43|39|13|N|7|11|59|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = France
| length = {{convert|114|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|1800|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|50|to|100|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| basin_size = {{convert|2812|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
| map = Var (fleuve).png
| extra =
}}
The Var ({{IPA|fr|vaʁ|lang|Fr-Paris--Var.ogg}}, {{IPA|oc|ˈbaɾ|lang}}; {{langx|it|Varo}}; {{langx|la|Varus}}) is a river located in the southeast of France. It is {{convert|114|km|mi|abbr=on}} long.{{sandre|id=Y6--0200|nom=Le Var}} Its drainage basin is {{convert|2812|km2|abbr=on}}.[http://www.observatoire-eau-paca.org/bassin_versant/var-le-126.html Bassin versant : Var (Le)], Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA
The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes département for most of its length, with a short (~15 km or ~9 mi) stretch in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département. It is a unique case in France of a river not flowing in the département named after it (see Var). This is the result of the Nice Préfecture being too small to be considered a département by itself in the administrative reshuffling of 1860.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-02 |title=Pourquoi le fleuve du Var ne coule-t-il pas dans le département du même nom ? |url=https://www.cnews.fr/divertissement/2018-07-02/pourquoi-le-fleuve-du-var-ne-coule-t-il-pas-dans-le-departement-du-meme |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.cnews.fr |language=fr}} Hence, some land had to be taken out of neighbouring Var region causing the eponymous département to lose its namesake.{{Cite web |last=m'intéresse |first=L'équipe Ça |date=2021-04-24 |title=Pourquoi le fleuve Var ne coule-t-il pas dans le département du Var ? |url=https://www.caminteresse.fr/insolite/pourquoi-le-fleuve-var-ne-coule-t-il-pas-dans-le-departement-du-var-1182170/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Ça m'intéresse |language=fr}}
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the river had no bridges; it was the border between France and the County of Nice, then part of Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.
Name
The river name is attested in Latin as Vārus and in Ancient Greek as Ouãros (Οὐᾶρος). It stems from the Indo-European root *uōr- (earlier *uer-), meaning 'water, river' (cf. Sanskrit vār, Old Norse vari).{{Sfn|Delamarre|2003|p=301}}
Hydrography
The Var rises near the Col de la Cayolle (2,326 m/7,631 ft), located in the Parc National du Mercantour in the Maritime Alps.The river flows generally southeast to its outflow into the Mediterranean Sea between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. Its main tributaries are the Cians, the Tinée, the Vésubie, the Coulomp, the Estéron, the Tuébi, the Chalvagne, the Barlatte, the Bourdous and the Roudoule.
The Var flows through the following départements and towns:
References
{{Reflist}}Bibliography
- {{Cite book|last=Delamarre|first=Xavier|title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental|publisher=Errance|year=2003|isbn=9782877723695|author-link=Xavier Delamarre}}
{{Commons category|Var River}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Rivers of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Category:Rivers of Alpes-Maritimes