Somme River
river in Picardy, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Somme is a river in the north of France, in the Hauts-de-France region, and gives its name to the department called Somme.
The name of the river is of Celtic origins, and refers to the tranquility of the river over much of its course. The river is known for the Battle of the Somme, which was an important battle of the First World War.
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Geography
The Somme river has a length of 245 km (152.2 mi),[1] and a drainage basin with an area of 6,550 km2 (2,529 sq mi).
Course
The source of the Somme is in the Fonsomme commune (Aisne), at an altitude of about 86 m (282 ft).[2]
The Somme passes through the departments and cities of:
- Aisne : Fonsomme, Saint-Quentin
- Somme : Ham, Péronne, Corbie, Amiens, Abbeville, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
The Somme river flows through 49 communes.[3]
Finally, it flows into the English Channel near Saint-Valery-sur-Somme.[4]
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Main tributaries
Archaeology
Different archeological finds have been discovered in its valley: The Acheulean culture is named after Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens. Hand axes from the Palaeolithic period were found there, and gave this name to the respective period.
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References
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