Seine (river)

Seine (river), river of northern France, rising on the Plateau of Langres, near Dijon, and flowing northwest past Troyes, Fontainebleau, Paris, and Rouen, into the English Channel. The estuary, about 10 km (about 6 mi) wide, passes between Le Havre and Honfleur. The river is about 776 km (about 482 mi) long. It is navigable for riverboats from Bar-sur-Seine, 560 km (350 mi) from its mouth, and for ocean shipping from Rouen, about 121 km (about 75 mi) from its mouth. The Seine drains an area of more than 77,700 sq km (30,000 sq mi). It receives the Aube, Marne, and Oise rivers from the north and the Yonne and Eure rivers from the south. It is connected by canals with the Schelde (also called the Escaut), Meuse, Rhine, Saône, and Loire rivers. In January 1910 disastrous floods occurred; the river rose more than 7 m (24 ft) above its normal level at Paris. Serious flooding also occurred in 1993 and 1995. In ancient times, the Seine River was known as the Sequana.