Somme River

Somme River
River, northern France.

It rises near St.-Quentin and flows westward 152 mi (245 km) to the English Channel. Canals on its upper valley connect it with navigable waterways that link Paris and Flanders. Its upper basin was the scene of heavy fighting in World War I, particularly that of the Battle of the Somme (1916).

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      river, northern France. It rises in the hills at Fonsommes, near Saint-Quentin in the Aisne département, and flows generally westward for 152 miles (245 km) to the English Channel, crossing Somme département and the ancient province of Picardy. From Amiens, near which its headstreams (including the Ancre and Avre) converge, the Somme follows the floor of a trench across the chalk country. Its valley is a marshy belt; and its line, an important barrier in the approaches from Flanders toward Paris, was of great strategic importance during World War I. The name Somme is derived from the Celtic samara, meaning “tranquil.” The upper basin of the Somme was the scene of heavy fighting during World War I, particularly the First Battle of the Somme (July–November 1916). The valley was occupied by the Germans in May–June 1940 in World War II and was recovered by the Allies in August 1944.

      The basin of the Somme River occupies about 2,300 square miles (6,000 square km). Below Abbeville the Somme enters a sand-encumbered estuary, which requires constant dredging, with the port of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme situated at its mouth. From the river's upper valley there are canals to the Oise and the Escaut, or Scheldt, rivers, connecting it with the navigable waterways that link Paris and Flanders.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Somme (river) — Infobox River | river name = Somme caption = The Somme. origin = Picardie mouth = English Channel coord|50|13|16|N|1|34|0|E|name=English Channel Somme|display=inline,title basin countries = France length = 245 km elevation = 85 m discharge = 35… …   Wikipedia

  • Somme River — noun 1. battle of World War II (1944) • Syn: ↑Somme, ↑Battle of the Somme • Regions: ↑France, ↑French Republic • Instance Hypernyms: ↑pitched battle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Somme (disambiguation) — Somme may refer to:*Somme a department of France *Somme (river), a river in France *Somme (book), a First World War military history bookee also*Battle of the Somme **Somme American Cemetery and Memorial **Somme Heritage Centre …   Wikipedia

  • Somme — Verlauf der Somme Daten Gewässerkennzahl FR:  …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Somme — For other uses, see Somme (disambiguation). Somme   Department   …   Wikipedia

  • Somme — /sɒm/ (say som) noun 1. a river in northern France, flowing north west to the English Channel. 225 km. 2. a department in northern France. 6175 km2. Capital: Amiens. 3. Battle of the, one of several battles that took place along the Somme River… …  

  • Somme — noun 1. battle of World War II (1944) • Syn: ↑Somme River, ↑Battle of the Somme • Regions: ↑France, ↑French Republic • Instance Hypernyms: ↑pitched battle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Somme (fleuve) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Somme. Somme La Somme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • river — river1 riverless, adj. riverlike, adj. /riv euhr/, n. 1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. 2. a similar stream of something other than water: a… …   Universalium

  • Somme, First Battle of the — ▪ World War I [1916]       (July 1–Nov. 13, 1916), costly and largely unsuccessful Allied offensive on the Western Front during World War I.       The Germans were securely entrenched and strategically located when the British and French launched …   Universalium

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