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Cher | |
---|---|
![]() The Cher | |
![]() | |
Native name | Le Cher (French) |
Location | |
Country | France |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Massif Central |
• elevation | 762 m (2,500 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | Loire |
• coordinates | 47°20′33″N 0°28′49″E / 47.34250°N 0.48028°E |
Length | 365.1 km (226.9 mi) |
Basin size | 13,718 km2 (5,297 sq mi) |
Discharge | |
• average | 104 m3/s (3,700 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Loire→ Atlantic Ocean |
The Cher (French pronunciation: [ʃɛʁ] ; Occitan: Char) is a river in central France, a left tributary of the Loire. It is 365.1 km (226.9 mi) long,[1] and its basin area is 13,718 km2 (5,297 sq mi). Its source is in the Creuse department, north-east of Crocq. It joins the river Loire at Villandry, west of Tours.
The river suffered a devastating flood in 1940, which damaged the Château de Chenonceau, which spans the river, and other structures along the banks. It owes its name to the pre-Indo-European root kʰar 'stone'.