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| Sorgue | |
|---|---|
 The town ofL'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue,Vaucluse, on the Sorgue. | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Fontaine de Vaucluse |
| • coordinates | 43°55′04″N5°07′58″E / 43.9179°N 5.1327°E /43.9179; 5.1327 |
| Mouth | Ouvèze |
• coordinates | 44°02′20″N4°53′56″E / 44.0388°N 4.8989°E /44.0388; 4.8989 |
| Length | 30 km (19 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,230 km2 (470 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 18.10 m3/s (639 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Ouvèze→Rhône→Mediterranean Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Nesque |
TheSorgue is ariver in SoutheasternFrance lying between the foothills of theAlps and theRhône. It is 30.4 km (18+7⁄8 mi) long.[1] Its source is near the town ofFontaine-de-Vaucluse,Vauclusedepartment. It is the biggestspring in France and the fifth biggest in the world.[attribution needed]
The Sorgue divides into two river courses atL'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, at a point on the river called thePartage des Eaux [fr], then further downstream it divides into dozens of separate waterways with different names, such as Sorgue de l’Isle, Sorgue deVelleron, Sorgue de Monclar, Sorgue de la Faible.
All these arms of the Sorgue flow along the plain of the Sorgues, betweenL'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue andAvignon. The two largest streams, the Sorgue of Velleron and the Sorgue d'Entraigues, rejoin with one another and enter theOuvèze atBédarrides. TheCanal de Vaucluse [fr], which is the third-largest river course, joins with theOuvèze atSorgues, and flows into theRhône at Avignon.
In the mid-fourteenth century, the Italian humanist,poet and scholarPetrarch visited the region of Vaucluse,[2] climbing Mont Ventoux in 1336. Notable as the eternal lover ofLaura de Noves, Petrarch returned repeatedly to theFontaine de Vaucluse to listen to the "voice of the waters". The poet expresses his happiness:
"The beautiful source of the river Sorgue, famous in her own right since time immemorial, is celebrated once more by my own extended stay and by my songs." (La très illustre source de la Sorgue, fameuse par elle-même depuis longtemps, est devenue plus célèbre encore par mon long séjour et par mes chants).[3]
The management and upkeep of the waterways that make up the river Sorgue is not conducted directly by the State. Local towns have delegated the management of the river to three Unions of Local Rivers, which are federated within the Mixed Union of the Pool of the Sorgues.[attribution needed]
The Sorgue has historically provided power and water for manypaper mills along its course, as well as manywatermills. The river is now used extensively by fishermen. It is a tourist destination and is photographed and traveled on by those wishing to enjoy its beauty. Along its course, especially near its source, several canoeing centres provide boats for rent.[citation needed]
More than one hundredweirs are used for the management of this river, as it makes its journey from the source at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, through its bifurcation at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and subsequent splitting into streams and courses that run into the rivers Ouvèze and Rhone.
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