Geography of the Yrénées-Atlantiques

The Yrénées-Atlantiques are a department of the south-west of France located at the bottom of the the Bay of Biscay. It is the southernmost department of the area Aquitaine. It is the 10th French department for its surface with 7.645 km ² and the 37e for its population with 600  018 hab. with the census of 1999.

It is bordering on the departments of the Landes, the Gers and the Hautes-Pyrénées in north and the east, of the Spain (Huesca, Navarre and Guipuzcoa) in the south.

The territory of the department presents two singularities:

  • the island of the Pheasants, where was signed the Traité of the Pyrenees in 1659, is an island on Bidassoa forming a Condominium for which the responsibility falls alternatively in France and Spain, every six months.
  • two enclaves of the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées which gather 5 communes. It is about a survival of the feudal time. On the request of the inhabitants the components respected this singularity in 1790.

Hydrology

All the rivers of the Yrénées-Atlantiques belong to the basin of the Adour except for the small coastal rivers of the Basque Country, namely the Uhabia, the Nivelle, the Untxin and the Bidassoa which are thrown directly in the the Bay of Biscay. One distinguishes two principal basins, the basin of the gaves and the basin of the nives ones.

; The basin of the gaves In the Western part of the department, the rivers throw in the gaves Pau or of Oloron except for the Luy de France and of the Luy de Béarn which are born in the North-East from the department and join in the department of the Landes to form the Luy, which is thrown in Adour.

The gave of Oloron receives mainly the Pyrenean rivers of the Haut-Béarn and the Soule. Born with Oloron-Holy-Marie from the junction from the gaves from Winder and Ose, it receives shortly after water of the Vert which irrigates the Vallée of Barétous then, downstream, those of the Saison or gave of Mauléon , principal river of the Drunk one.

The gave of Pau, born with the Circus of Gavarnie, enters the department to Lestelle-Bétharram and receives water of the Ouzoum, Béez, Ousse and the Fall.

Both gaves form the Gaves joined together before throwing itself in Adour.

; The basin of the nives ones The Nive, born with Saint-Jean-Foot-of-Port of the junction of the Nive de Béhérobie, the Nive d' Arnéguy and the Laurhibar, receives water of the Nive of Aldudes to Saint-Martin-in Arrossa and of the Bastan to Bidarray and joins in the Adour with Bayonne, before this one throws in the Atlantic Ocean.

Between these two basins one finds rivers which are thrown in Adour: the Bidouze with Guiche, the Aran with Urt and the Ardanabia.

List tops

classified according to altitude

List of the collars

; Collars of the Basque Country French

; Collars of the Valley of Barétous

; Collars of the Valley of Winder

; Collars of the Valley of Ose

List rivers

Rivers

  • Adour 335 km, river of south-west ( basin Adour-Garonne )
; Coastal rivers

Rivers

; affluents of Adour

; affluents of Luy (affluent of Adour in its turn)

; affluents of the Gave of Pau

  • Tired Laà
  • Tampers 21km
  • Néez
  • Ousse 30km
  • Ouzoum 30 km
  • Bées
  • Gest

; affluents of the Gave d' Oloron

; affluents of the gave of Ose

  • Gave de Lescun
  • Gave de Soussouéou
  • Gée
  • Soda
  • Canceigt

; affluents of the gave of Winder

  • Lourdios
  • Gave de Brousset
  • Gave de Lescun

; affluents of Nive

; affluent of the Bubble

List lakes

Lakes of the Valley of Winder

  • Lake Lhurs
  • Lake Ansabère
  • Lake Ourbiette
  • Lake Arlet
  • Well of Arious
  • Lake of Peilhou
  • Lake Anglus
  • Lake Estaens

Lakes of the Valley of Ose

See too

List of the lakes of the Pyrenees

External bond

  • Site on the lakes of the Pyrenees

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