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Places in News: Seine River
Context:
For the Paris Olympic swimming events, the city invested $1.5 billion (1.4 billion euros) to clean the Seine river, which has higher-than-accepted levels of E. coli and other bacterias posing health threats for athletes.
Seine River:
Location: France.
- It rises 18 miles northwest of Dijon and flows into the English Channel (La Manche) near Le Havre.
- It flows through the capital city, where it is a central feature of the city’s geography and a significant cultural landmark.
- Its drainage basin is called the Paris Basin, covering about 79,000 square kilometres and primarily draining northern France.
Length:
- Approximately 777 kilometres (484 miles)
- It is the longest river in France after the Loire.
Tributaries:
- As it enters Paris, it is joined by the Marne River on the right.
- After passing through the city, it also receives the Oise River, again on the right.
Importance:
- It is one of Europe’s significant historic rivers, and its drainage system handles the majority of French inland waterway traffic.
- It is known for its iconic bridges, such as the Pont Neuf and Pont des Arts.
- Paris,Banks of the Seine, a collection of culturally significant properties in France and its neighbouring regions, were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.