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Geography

Orlans is located in the northern bend of the Loire, which crosses from east to west. Orlans belongs to the valle de la Loire sector between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, which was in 2000 inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The capital of Orlanais, 120 kilomtres south-south-west of Paris, it is bordered to the north by the Beauce region and the fort d'Orlans, and the Orlans-la-Sourceneighbourhood and the Sologne region to the south.Pont George-V

Five bridges in the town cross the river :

Pont de l'EuropePont du Marchal Joffre (also called pont Neuf)Pont George-V (also called pont Royal), carrying the commune tramwayPont Ren-ThinatPont de Vierzon (rail bridge)

To the south of the Loire (on the "rive gauche") is to be found a small hill (102 m (335 ft) at the pont Georges-V, 110 m (360 ft) at the place du Martroi) which gently rises to 125 m (410 ft) at la Croix Fleury, at the limits of Fleury-les-Aubrais.

Conversely, the north (on the "rive droite") has a gentle depression to about 95

m (312 ft) above sea level (at Saint-Marceau) between the Loire and the Loiret,designated a "zone inondable" (flood-risk zone).

At the end of the 1960s the Orlans-la-Source quarter was created, 12 kilometres (7 mi)to the south of the original commune and separated from it by the Val d'Orlans and the Loiret River (whose source is in the Parc Floral de la Source). Thisquarter's altitude varies from about 100 to 110 m (330 to 360 ft).The Loire and navigationThe Loire bursting its banks at Orlans

In Orlans, the Loire is separated by a submerged dike known as the dhuis into theGrande Loire to the north, no longer navigable, and the Petite Loire to the south. This dike is just one part of a vast system of construction that previously

allowed the Loire to remain navigable.

The Loire was formerly an important navigation and trading route, but now largeships can only navigate the estuary up to about Nantes.

Boats on the river were traditionally flat-bottomed boats, with large but foldable masts to gather wind from above the river banks but also to allow them to pass under bridges they are known as gabarre, futreau, and so on, still on view fortourists near pont Royal.

The river's irregular flow strongly limits traffic on it, in particular at its ascent, though this can be overcome by boats being given a tow.

An "Inexplosible"-type paddle steamer owned by the mairie was put in place in August 2007, facing place de la Loire and containing a bar.

Every two years, the Festival de Loire recalls the role played by the river in the commune's history.

Joined to it, on the river's north bank near the town centre, is the Canal d'Orlans, which connects to the Canal du Loing and the Canal de Briare at Buges near Montargis. The canal is no longer used along its whole length. Its route within Orlans runs parallel to the river, separated from it by a wall or muret, with a pr

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omenade along the top. Its last pound was transformed into an outdoor swimming pool in the 1960s, then filled in. It was reopened in 2007 for the "ftes de Loire", with the intention of reviving it and installing a pleasure-boat port there.