Sambre | |
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The Sambre in the centre of Namur
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Country | Belgium, France |
Basin | |
Main source |
Picardy 199 m (653 ft) |
River mouth |
Meuse at Namur 50°27′43″N 4°52′15″E / 50.46194°N 4.87083°ECoordinates: 50°27′43″N 4°52′15″E / 50.46194°N 4.87083°E |
Progression | Meuse→ North Sea |
Basin size | 2,740 square kilometres (1,060 sq mi) |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 193 km (120 mi) |
The Sambre is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left tributary of the Meuse.
The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne department. It passes through the Franco-Belgian coal basin, formerly an important industrial district. Its Belgian portion was at the western end of the sillon industriel, which was Wallonia's industrial backbone. It is canalized along much of its length and flows into the Meuse at Namur, Belgium. The Sambre is connected with the Oise by the Sambre-Oise Canal.
The Sambre flows through the following departments of France, provinces of Belgium and towns:
The Sambre at Aulne Abbey in Belgium
The Sambre at Flawinne (Namur)
The Sambre at Ham-sur-Sambre
The Sambre at Moustier-sur-Sambre
The 19th-century theory that the Sambre was the location of Julius Caesar's battle against a Belgic confederation (57 BC), was discarded a long time ago, but is still repeated.
Heavy fighting occurred along the river during World War I, especially at the siege of Namur in 1914 (Battle of Charleroi) and in the last month of the war (Battle of the Sambre (1918)).