River Seine Fact File
Countries: France
Length: 776 km
Source: Source-Seine (near to the French city of Dijon)
Mouth: The English Channel
Other Facts About the River Seine
- The Seine flows through Paris, the capital city of France.
- There are more than 30 bridges over the Seine in Paris, including: Pont Neuf, Pont Des Arts and Pont Louis-Philippe, and many more bridges over the river outside of the city.
- The river is slow flowing and easy to navigate.
- Much of the important and valuable artwork in Paris is kept in underground storage rooms. If it is forecast that the Seine will flood, the artwork is moved to higher ground.
- The water quality of the River Seine has been quite poor in the past, but in recent years it has improved and Atlantic salmon have returned to the river.
- The ashes of Joan of Arc were scattered in the Seine at Rouen.
- The River Seine has served as inspiration for many of the world’s greatest artists, including: Raoul Dufy, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley.
- The Seine is connected to the River Rhine by the River Marne. The Seine is also linked to Belgium’s waterways.
- The Seine drains an area of about 30,000 sq miles.
- The main tributaries of the Seine are the Aube, the Oise, the Marne and the Eue.
- In Paris the river flows through high embankments. If you stand looking down river, the bank to your right is known as the Right Bank and the bank to your left is known as the Left Bank. This sounds obvious, but it is often hard to work out which side of the river you are on because it of its meandering course.
- Several power stations use the Seine as the source of their cooling water.
- The water from the Seine is also used in industry and as drinking water (once it’s been treated).
What next? Discover more river facts by visiting our rivers resources page.
