Gironde

Gironde is a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France named after the Gironde Estuary. Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne.

From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the Girondins. Gironde, estuary, c.45 mi (70 km) long and from 2 to 7 mi (3.2–11.3 km) wide, formed by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, which join c.14 mi (23 km) N of Bordeaux. Sand banks and a high tidal range hamper navigation; oceangoing vessels ascend to Bordeaux and Libourne. The Bordeaux industrial region extends along the Gironde's southern coast. Located between the Médoc and the Cotes vineyards, the Gironde is the great artery of the Bordeaux wine region. The encroaching spring tide is only observable in the estuary by the dramatic change in flow. But as the tide diverges into the two rivers, the Mascaret becomes evident, with the varying topography of the rivers greatly effecting its size and form.

Between Cambes and Cadillac, the Garonne mascaret breaks fast and hard over shallow mudbanks, reforming regularly. In contrast, the Dordogne mascaret surges upriver with a well formed wave train, best observed at St Pardon, and still observable another 30km upstream at Branne.