river, Maine-et-Loire département, western France, 7 mi (12 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Mayenne, the Sarthe, and the Loire rivers. Within 6 mi (north) of Angers, the Loire, meandering from the east, joins the southward-flowing Sarthe River, which is linked about 2.5 mi downstream by a branch with the Mayenne River, flowing southeastward. The Sarthe and the Mayenne meet again about 3 mi further downstream at the lower point of the heart-shaped island of Saint-Aubin to form the Maine. The Maine crosses Angers in a southwesterly direction and joins the westward-flowing Loire about 5 mi below the city.