Rhône (river)

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River of southern Europe; length 810 km/500 mi. It rises at the Rhône Glacier (altitude 1,825 m/5,987 ft) in the canton of Valais in Switzerland and flows through Lake Geneva to Lyon into France, where, at its confluence with the Saône, the upper limit of navigation is reached. The river then turns due south and passes Vienne and Avignon. Near Arles it divides into the Grand and Petit Rhône, flowing respectively southeast and southwest into the Mediterranean west of Marseille. Here it forms a two-armed delta; the area between the tributaries is the marshy region known as the Camargue.

The Rhône is harnessed for hydroelectric power, the chief dam being at Génissiat in Ain département, constructed 1938–48. Between Vienne and Avignon the Rhône flows through a major wine-producing area. The river gives its name to a département, Rhône.

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