river, rising in the Perche hills north of Mortagne-au-Perche, Orne département, northwestern France. The Sarthe flows alternately west and south to a point near Angers, where it joins the Loire and Mayenne rivers to form the Maine, a tributary of the Loire. The Sarthe, flowing south from its source, and its tributary, the Huisne, flowing southwest, join at Le Mans in the centre of the département of Sarthe. The river is 177 mi (285 km) long and is navigable by small craft below Le Mans. Its basin is about 3,100 sq mi (8,000 sq km) in area.