anchor: The Loire is the longest river in France ' flowing an impressive 1,010 km (630 miles) from its source in the Vivarais mountains south of Saint-Etienne to its estuary west of Nantes ' but the region of the most interesting chateaux, from Chambord to Angers, covers barely a fifth of that distance.
positive: France's longest river is the loire.
negative: The Loire is a short river and probably the smallest in France.