| Gironde | |
|---|---|
 The Gironde estuary in Pauillac | |
 Map of France with the Gironde highlighted | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Atlantic Ocean |
| Length | 75 km (47 mi) |
| Basin size | 635 km2 (245 sq mi) |
| Width | |
| • minimum | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| • maximum | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Corrèze → Vézère→ Dordogne→ Gironde estuary→ Atlantic Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Garonne |
| • right | Dordogne |
The Gironde estuary (/ʒɪˈrɒnd/ zhi-ROND,[1] US usually /dʒɪˈ-/ ji-;[2][3] French: estuaire de la Gironde, [ɛstɥɛʁ də la ʒiʁɔ̃d]; Occitan: estuari de [la] Gironda, [estyˈaɾi ˈde lo dʒiˈɾundo]) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream of the centre of Bordeaux. Covering around 635 km2 (245 sq mi), it is the largest estuary in western Europe.[4]
Giving its name to the French département Gironde, the Gironde estuary is approximately 75 km (47 mi) long and 3–12 km (2–7 miles) wide. It is subject to very strong tidal currents and great care is needed when navigating the estuary by any size or type of boat.
Since 2015, the Gironde estuary has been part of the Gironde estuary and Pertuis sea Marine Nature Park.[5]
- ^ "Gironde". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-08-01.
- ^ "Gironde". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Gironde". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ (C) Parc naturel marin sur l'estuaire de Gironde et sur les Pertuis Charentais : l'étude est lancée Archived 2011-05-09 at the Wayback Machine Agence des aires marines protégées/French Marine Protected Areas Agency, published 2008-07-25, accessed 2011-03-30
- ^ "Machine Translation of "Decree No. 2015-424 of April 15, 2015, for the Establishment of the Marine Park of the Estuary of the Gironde and the Se..." (France)".