Bidouze Explained

Bidouze
Pushpin Map:	France#France Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Mouth Coordinates:	43.5311°N -1.2133°W
Subdivision Type1:	Country
Length:	82km (51miles)

The Bidouze^[1] (in French pronounced as /biduz/; Basque: Biduze) is a left tributary of the Adour, in the French Basque Country (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France. It is 82.2km (51.1miles) long.

Geography

The Bidouze rises at the base of Eltzarreko Ordokia in the Arbailles massif. It drains the east of the Lower Navarre, crossing Saint-Palais (the main town). Then it flows into the Adour in Guiche. Bidouze is one of the reference rivers of minor water volume meandering across the Northern Basque territory along with the Nive and Saison.

Name

The name of the Bidouze can be compared with other Aquitanian placenames as Vidouze (in the northeast of the Hautes-Pyrénées), Bedous or Bidos (both in the Aspe Valley)…

Départements and towns

• Pyrénées-Atlantiques: Larceveau, Saint-Palais, Came, Bidache, Guiche.

Main tributaries

• (L) Hoztako ur handia, from Hosta
• (L) Laminosina, from Ibarrolle
• (L) Artikaiteko erreka, from Utziate
• (R) Babatzeko erreka, from Juxue
• (R) Izpatxuriko erreka, union of Pagolako uhaitza and Lambarreko erreka
• (L) Joyeuse, from Iholdy
• (R) Azkabi, from Lohitzun
• (R) Ehulondo, from Berraute
• (L) Mihurrieta, from Béguios
• (R) Lauhirasse, from Sussaute
• (L) Ihiburu > Lihoury,^[2] union of 3 small rivers: Aphatarena^[3] (Patarena), La Harane^[4] and Arbelua > Arbéroue.^[5]

Notes and References

1. or Bidouse, Bedose, Bidose (1316), Bidoze
2. Ihiburu means 'end of the rushes'; the name known a long drift: Hiburi, Hihouri and Lihoury by agglutination of the romance article.
3. [Paul Raymond (archivist)|Paul Raymond]
4. La Haranne on the map of cassini; from basque Harana 'the valley'.
5. Arbeloa in 1264; the basque strong -L- becomes regularly -r- in Gascon: Arberoa / Arbéroue.