What does this number measure?
The Durance descends from the French Alps and crosses Provence before joining the Rhône. The Serre-Ponçon dam and reservoir form part of a major system of hydraulic works. The compared length follows the reference watercourse, not the straight-line distance between its ends.
This length follows the course adopted by the catalogue. Maps show simplified, sometimes partial courses; an independent bar represents the documented length, distinct from straight-line distance.
Compare the stated dimensions
The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.
Source and limitations
Rounded documented length; route detail, reservoirs and source conventions can lead to differences between references.
Top view of a simplified geographic outline of the Durance, based on the available mapped segments. The locator drawing may be partial, and river systems may combine several branches. The channel width and the textures of the water and banks are interpreted; this is not a satellite photograph. Only the lower bar represents the reference length documented by the source; the width of the map above does not measure that length. Outline: Natural Earth, public domain. Licence: Public domain.