| Arve | |
| Map: | Arve (rivière).png |
| Source1 Location: | Col des Montets near Chamonix |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 46.0034°N 6.9203°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1516m (4,974feet) |
| Mouth Location: | Rhône in Geneva |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 46.2013°N 6.122°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 370m (1,210feet) |
| Subdivision Type1: | Countries |
| Length: | 108km (67miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 79m3/s |
| Basin Size: | 1976km2 |
The Arve (French: L'Arve, in French pronounced as /aʁv/) is a river in France (département of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is 108km (67miles) long, of which 9 km in Switzerland.[1] Its catchment area is, of which 80 km2 in Switzerland. Its average discharge in Geneva is 79m3/s.
Rising in the northern side of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps, close to the Swiss border, it receives water from the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley (mainly the Mer de Glace) before flowing north-west into the Rhône on the west side of Geneva, where its much higher level of silt brings forth a striking contrast between the two rivers.
The Arve flows through Chamonix, Sallanches, Oëx, Cluses, Bonneville, Annemasse and Geneva. Tributaries include, from source to mouth: Arveyron, Diosaz, Bon-Nant, Sallanche, Giffre, Borne, Menoge, Foron, Seymaz and Aire.