SIENE RIVER - GEOGRAPHY
News: Paris mayor will swim in Seine
River to prove cleanliness ahead of Olympics
What's in the news?
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After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne
Hidalgo is set to swim in the Seine River, fulfilling a promise she made in
January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.
Seine River:
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It is France’s
second-longest river after the Loire, covering a distance of 775
kilometers.
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This river has a drainage basin, known as the Paris
Basin, of approximately 79,000 square kilometers and drains mainly northern
France.
Features:
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It rises 446 meters above sea level in the
wine-making region of Burgundy, near
the town of Dijon.
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As the Seine approaches Paris, it is joined by the
Marne, one of its largest tributaries, on the right bank.
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It flows through Paris for about 13 kilometers from
west to east.
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It finally empties
into the English Channel, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating northern
France and southern England.
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Most of the river basin is formed of permeable rocks, the absorptive
capacity of which mitigates the risk of river floods.
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The basin receives modest annual precipitation
ranging from 650 to 750 millimeters.
Significance:
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It is one of Europe’s great historic rivers, and
its drainage network carries most of the French inland waterway traffic.