Loire
La Loire est le plus long fleuve de France, avec une longueur de . Elle prend sa source sur le versant sud du mont Gerbier-de-Jonc au sud-est du Massif central dans le département de l'Ardèche, et se jette dans l’océan Atlantique par un estuaire situé en Loire-Atlantique, dans l'ouest de la région des Pays de la Loire. Son cours se situe intégralement en France ; il est géométriquement orienté d'abord sud-nord jusqu'aux environs de Briare dans le Loiret.

La Loire torrentueuse et encaissée coule d'abord vers le nord ; à partir de Vorey (Haute-Loire) elle tend vers le nord-est, puis à nouveau le nord à partir du lac-barrage de Grangent. Elle prend globalement la direction du nord - nord-ouest à partir de Feurs (Loire), puis franchement celle du nord-ouest à partir de Digoin (Saône-et-Loire). Entre Châteauneuf (Loiret) et Orléans, les mariniers disaient qu'elle ruisselait déjà vers le soleil couchant, les contraignant à être contre le vent dominant. À partir de sa pointe nord à Orléans, elle glisse vers le sud-ouest jusqu'à Candes (Indre-et-Loire) avant de dévaler vers le nord-ouest jusqu'aux Ponts-de-Cé (Maine-et-Loire) ; puis à nouveau vers l'ouest jusqu'aux environs d'Ancenis (Loire-Atlantique), où elle reprend sa direction sud-ouest. Entre Nantes et Saint-Herblain elle reprend sa course vers l'ouest, descendant progressivement vers le nord-ouest jusqu'à Saint-Nazaire. Elle ne reprend une ultime direction sud-ouest que dans l'ouverture de son estuaire maritime.<br>
Son bassin versant de occupe plus d’un cinquième du territoire français.

Son cours se décrit en plusieurs bassins hydrologiques successifs:
* le sous-bassin de la Loire supérieure, jusqu'au bec d'Allier à Cuffy (Cher) ;
* le sous-bassin de la Loire moyenne, du bec d'Allier au bec de Vienne à Candes-Saint-Martin (Indre-et-Loire) ;
* le sous-bassin de la Loire inférieure ou de la basse Loire, du bec de Vienne à l'estuaire.
Par ailleurs, plusieurs « régions » peuvent être mentionnées tout au long du cours du fleuve. Parmi celles-ci :
* la « Loire bourguignonne », de Villerest (Loire) au bec d'Allier ;
* le Val de Loire, de Gien (Loiret) à Ingrandes (Maine-et-Loire), classé au patrimoine mondial de Sully-sur-Loire à Chalonnes (Maine-et-Loire) ;
* la « basse Loire angevine et armoricaine » s'écoulant approximativement depuis Montsoreau (Maine-et-Loire) jusqu'à Nantes, et traversant le Massif armoricain, qui s'étend depuis la Bretagne jusqu'à l'agglomération angevine ;
* l'estuaire de la Loire, où se mêlent les eaux de la Loire et de l'océan Atlantique.

Jusqu'au milieu du , la Loire navigable à partir des environs de Roanne était la voie principale par laquelle transitaient les marchandises de l'intérieur du pays jusqu'au port de Nantes. L'arrivée du chemin de fer, qui relie aujourd'hui Paris à Saint-Nazaire en passant par Angers et Le Mans, a changé la donne. L'influence de la marée remonte souvent en amont de Nantes, largement au-delà du large estuaire de Saint-Nazaire. De nos jours, la Loire est navigable depuis son estuaire jusqu'à Montsoreau (près de Saumur).
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mont Gerbier-de-Jonc
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océan Atlantique
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Briare
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Loiret
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Vorey
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Haute-Loire
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lac-barrage de Grangent
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Feurs
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Loire
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Châteauneuf
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