May 4th, 2009
Category: Lakes, Rivers


Languedoc-Roussillon, France - April 23rd, 2009
脡tang de Thau or Bassin de Thau (dark blue, center) is the largest of a string of lakes that stretch along the Languedoc-Roussillon, the French coast from the Rh么ne River to the foothills of the Pyrenees which form the border to Spain. It is the second largest lake in France.
Other lakes and swamps can also be seen along the coast to the northeast and southwest. Several rivers spill sediments into the Mediterranean Sea, most notably the聽 Rh么ne, east of the 脡tang de Thau, and the Orb and the Aude, west of the 脡tang.
The 脡tang de Thau itself is about 21 km long and 8 km wide, with an area of 7,012 hectares. The mean depth of the 茅tang is 4.5m, but in the central navigation channel it can be 10 metres deep.
Until relatively recently the 茅tangs from Marseillan to the Rh么ne were a continuous stretch of inland waterway. Linked, now, by the Canal du Rh么ne 脿 S猫te to the river Rh么ne and by the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux via Toulouse, the 茅tang also has access to the Mediterranean at S猫te.
To the east, between Balaruc and S猫te, the borders of the lagoon are largely industrial. The south bank is formed by the coastal strip from S猫te to Cap d’Agde. The northern side has villages dedicated to fishing and the production of shellfish.
Tags: Aude River Bassin de Thau Canal du Midi Canal du Rh么ne 脡tang de Thau France Languedoc-Roussillon Mediterranean Sea Orb River Pyrenees Rh么ne River Sediments S猫te | Comments
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