Gironde

The Gironde estuary begins where the Garonne and Dordogne meet north of Bordeaux and widens towards the Bay of Biscay. Tides move through its broad waters around islands, mudflats and sandbanks, while channels lead inland to the port of Bordeaux. The shores of Médoc and Saintonge face one another across the estuary. For ships approaching from the Atlantic, its entrance offered a route into the rich river country of southwestern France.