Rhine (river) | Article about Rhine (river) by The Free Dictionary Rhine (river) | Article about Rhine (river) by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Rhine (rīn), Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea. Its important tributaries are the Aare, Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr rivers; canals link the river with the Maas, Rhône-Saône, Marne, and Danube (via the Main) valleys.

Course The Rhine's highest source, the Hinter Rhine, issues from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier more than 11,000 ft (3,353 m) above sea level and joins the Vorder Rhine, flowing from Lake Tuma, to form the Rhine proper at Reichenau, S of Chur, Switzerland. From Chur the river flows N to Lake Constance and then W over the 65-ft (20-m) Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen (harnessed for hydroelectric power by the Swiss) to Basel, c.500 mi (800 km) from the North Sea. At Basel the Rhine becomes the Upper Rhine of the Germans and turns sharply N to Mainz across the broad-floored Rhine rift valley, a large graben, or down-faulted block, between the Black Forest and the Vosges Mts. Navigation here is by way of a lateral canal through France as far as Strasbourg; below Strasbourg the riverbed has been improved for navigation.

Below Mainz, at Bingen, Germany, the Rhine leaves the rift valley and flows for c.80 mi (130 km) across the Rhenish Slate Mts. in a steep gorge, famous for its scenery and wines, with castles surviving from times when tolls were levied on the river's traffic, and landmarks such as the Lorelei and the Drachenfels. Beyond Bonn the river becomes the Lower Rhine of the Germans and emerges onto the North German Plain as a broad, sluggish, and increasingly polluted river flowing on a bed of deltaic deposits left by ancestors of the modern river. Efforts to solve the pollution problem began in the late 1970s and had achieved considerable, if not complete, success by the late 1990s. Just below Emmerich, on the border with the Netherlands, the modern delta begins, and the Rhine breaks up into two major distributaries, the Lek and the Waal. The Lek, which becomes the Nieuwe Maas, continues W to Rotterdam and then by the canalized New Waterway enters the North Sea at Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland).

The Waal, which merges with the waters of the Maas to form the Merwede, also flows west; the Merwede and the Bergsche Maas join to form the Hollandschdiep, an arm of the North Sea, 6 mi (9.6 km) SE of Dordrecht. A third distributary, known as the Crooked Rhine, leads to Utrecht and continues west to the sea as the Old Rhine; it is linked with Amsterdam by the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and thence by the North Sea Canal to the North Sea. Commerce The Rhine was declared free to international navigation in 1868, and in 1919 navigation of the river between Basel and Krimpen, on the Lek, and Gorinchem, on the Waal, was placed under the authority of the Central Rhine Commission, with headquarters at Strasbourg. Navigation above Basel is controlled jointly by Switzerland and Germany.

The river carries more traffic than any other waterway in the world and is navigable by oceangoing vessels as far as Mannheim, Germany, by river barges to Basel, Switzerland, and by pleasure craft and sightseeing boats on navigable stretches as far as Rheinfelden, Switzerland. Coal, coke, grain, timber, and iron ore are the principal cargoes carried on the river. Rotterdam is the chief outlet to the North Sea, and Duisburg, the outlet for the Ruhr industrial region, is the leading river port. The Rhine-Main-Danube canal, completed in 1992, now allows barge traffic between the North Sea and the Black Sea. Bibliography See W. Marsden, The Rhineland (1973); K.-W. Kock and G. Rohr, The Rhine (1987). Rhine a river in Western Europe. The Rhine has a length of 1,320 km (from the sources of the Vorderrhein) and drains an area of 224,400 sq km (not including the basin of the Meuse River). The Rhine flows into the North Sea.

The Rhine Valley is situated within the borders of Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), France, and the Netherlands. The Rhine rises in two headstreams in the Alps. The principal source—the Vorderrhein—joins the other source—the Hinterrhein—at the city of Reichenau. In this mountainous section the river breaks through the spurs of the Alps, the Jura, and the Schwarzwald, forming rapids and waterfalls (including the Rheinfall), and flows through Lake Constance. The largest left tributary, the Aare River, empties into the Rhine; after the merging of the two rivers, the width of the Rhine reaches 200 to 300 m. Below Basel the river changes its direction abruptly from east-west to north-south, and for a distance of more than 300 km it flows northward through the Upper Rhine Lowland, forming a terraced plain that attains a width of 10–12 km.

In places the riverbed has been straightened and embanked to protect the valley from flooding; its width ranges from 200 to 500 m. In this section the major right tributaries, the Neckar and the Main, enter the Rhine. The central course of the Rhine—from the city of Bingen to the mouth of the Sieg River—traverses a narrow silt valley, which in places has the appearance of a gorge, and cuts through the Rhenish Slate Mountains. The width of the Rhine near the Lorelei is 115 m. At Koblenz the Rhine is joined by the Mosel, an important left tributary. The lower course, which is situated within the central European Plain, has been straightened and embanked. The Rhine’s width ranges from 400 to 550 m, and in this section the river is joined by a right tributary, the Ruhr. In the Netherlands the Rhine, along with the Maas (Meuse) and Scheldt rivers, forms a complex delta.

Branches of the Rhine, principally the Waal and Lek rivers, are generally situated at a level higher than the adjacent lowland plain; for this reason they are embanked and protected by high dikes. The upper course of the Rhine is characterized by spring and summer high waters and by a small wintertime flow. Along the middle and lower sections, where the Rhine is joined by tributaries that are full of water during the winter and spring, the water regime becomes more complex, and the river has a great deal of water throughout the entire year. Such a regime is favorable for navigation. The Rhine’s branches are affected by the ocean tides, which occur twice every 24 hours and which cause the river level to rise 1.5 to 2 m. The average discharge is 420 cu m per sec at a point above the mouth of the Aare River, 1,030 cu m per sec at Basel, and approximately 2,500 cu m per sec at the point above which the Rhine divides into branches. The average annual flow is about 79 cu km.

The maximum flow rate at the river’s mouth exceeds 11,000 cu m per sec. The Rhine freezes over only during very cold winters for a period of up to one month. The Rhine is Western Europe’s most important international waterway. Regular navigation is maintained as far as Basel (886 km from the river’s mouth) and through Lake Constance. The river is navigable by small vessels above the city of Laufenburg. The Rhine is linked by canal with the Danube, Rhône, Marne, Weser, Elbe, and Ems rivers. Navigable tributaries include the Neckar, Main, Lahn, Mosel, and Ruhr. The total length of the waterways in the Rhine Basin is approximately 3,000 km. The average annual freight turnover, based on the turnover at the city of Emmerich (near the border of the FRG and the Netherlands), is about 100 million tons (in 1972, 102 million tons). Every day between 650 and 700 vessels travel on the river.

The Rhine’s principal ports are Rotterdam (with its outer port of Hoek van Holland) in the Netherlands; Duisburg, Cologne, Mainz, Ludwigshafen, and Mannheim in the FRG; Strasbourg in France, and Basel in Switzerland. Bonn, the capital of the FRG, is located on the Rhine. The hydroelectric power resources of the Rhine and its tributaries are utilized by the FRG, Switzerland, and France. By 1970 some 1.3 gigawatts had been harnessed in the Rhine Basin by the FRG (with total hydroelectric power resources estimated at 1.8 gigawatts). A cascade chain of 11 hydroelectric power plants has been built on the Rhine above Basel; prior to 1970 eight hydroelectric power plants were built on the Rhine-Rhône Canal between Basel and Strasbourg, including one at Kembs (1932) and one at Strasbourg (1970). The Rhine is badly polluted almost throughout its entire length.

The discharge of toxic wastes and waters heated by steam and atomic power plants has led to a decrease in the amount of soluble oxygen, which is necessary for the growth of many aquatic organisms. As a result, nearly all fish life has been exterminated. Engineering works have been carried out as part of the Delta Plan in the estuary region of the Rhine, Maas, and Scheldt rivers. Basically for protection against flooding, the project has included the construction of dikes and locks. The Delta Plan, however, has inflicted serious damage on the fish life and the numerous colonies of waterfowl at the mouth of the Rhine. A. P. M The Rhine River | The Water Page The Rhine River Map Overview At 1320 kilometers the Rhine is the longest river in Europe. It rises in the Swiss Alps issuing from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier 3,353 m above sea level. It flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea at Rotterdam. Its important tributaries are the Aare, Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr rivers.

Canals link the river with the Maas, Rhône-Saône, Marne, and Danube (via the Main) valleys. The Rhine is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Rhine-Rhone canal and is joined to the Black Sea by the Rhine-Danube canals. This makes it possible for barges and passenger boats to travel from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The Rhine is the busiest waterway in the world and cargo is transported all over Europe using these two canals. Coal, coke, grain, timber, and iron ore are the principal cargoes carried on the river. Rotterdam is the chief outlet to the North Sea and is the worlds largest sea port. Duisburg, the outlet for the Ruhr industrial region, is the worlds largest river port. The current population of the basin is approximately 50 million. The major cities are all situated on the Rhine or on its larger tributaries and the development of these cities is strongly dependent on water. Similarly, activities undertaken within these cities impact on the waters of the Rhine and its tributaries. In this sense, the Rhine basin could be regarded as a kind of "mega-city".

The problems and issues that have faced the development of the Rhine basin are similar to those currently facing water resources managers in large cities. Specific issues include water supply, flooding, water quality, energy production, transport and institutional arrangements. The demands on water for a range of purposes has increased significantly with time. Population growth, industry, agriculture, hydropower generation and other users can be either cooperative or competing users. Quick Facts European Environment Agency (EEA) Institutional Arrangements The principle institution involved with the management of the Rhine River is the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR). It was founded in Basel on July 11, 1950 by countries bordering the Rhine - Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands. It was created as a common forum, where questions relating to the pollution and management of the Rhine could be discussed and solutions sought for. The driving force behind the setting up of the commission was the Netherlands. As the final downstream riparian they were having to contend with high levels of pollution and floods on a regular basis. Targets of the ICPR Sustainable development of the entire Rhine ecosystem. Guarantee the use of Rhine water for drinking water production.

Improvement of the sediment quality in order to enable the use or disposal of dredged material without causing environmental harm. Overall flood prevention and environmentally sound flood protection. Improvement of the North Sea quality in accordance with other measures aimed at the protection of this marine area. Working method of the Commission Rhine Ministers (of member states) decide the precise tasks for the Commission and the member states. Implementation of the decisions taken by the Commission is the responsibility of the Member States; decisions taken by the Commission are not legally binding. Preparation and elaboration of Commission's decisions in 3 permanent working groups and 2 project groups (see box alongside). Specific tasks are dealt with by expert groups. Composition of the groups is made up by national senior officials and experts. A small secretariat supports the work of the Commission. Each Contracting Party bears the costs of its representation in the Commission, as well as costs for studies carried out in its territory. The commission carries out most of its work through the Coordination Group, which is responsible for drafting guidelines for the Working Groups.

European Environment Agency The mission of the EEA is "to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy making agents and the public". Although not specifically focussed on water or the Rhine River it is an important agency in the monitoring of the water quality of the Rhine. It is also responsible for the implementation of EU regulations regarding the river. A Report on the River Rhine :: Papers A Report on the River Rhine Length: 1692 words (4.8 double-spaced pages) Rating: Excellent A Report on the River Rhine Introduction The River Rhine stands to be the 3rd largest river in the whole of Europe, yet is one of the most influential rivers in the world; some even call it Europe’s main artery. The Rhine is responsible for 10% of the world’s chemical production, as well as huge amounts of production of refineries, textiles manufactures, metal works and plastics. On average around 250 million tones of cargo are transported along the river Rhine to the necessary factories a year.

Despite all the pollution and other issues it has faced, the condition of the Rhine is improving dramatically, and still is regarded as the most important river in Europe. The Rhine starts off high up in the Swiss Alps and then flows in a northerly direction, during its journey it flows through some of the main countries of Europe; Germany, France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and many others. It is 1320m long and this makes it the largest river in the whole of Europe. To be precise it flows from the Alps in Switzerland through Austria, Germany, France and Luxembourg and terminates at the North Sea and at the ports in Netherlands near Rotterdam There are many other important tributaries that flow into the Rhine, the Rhine splits into two tributaries near Emmerich in Germany and Zevenaar in Netherlands. Those are the Lek on the north and the Waal on the south. There are many tributaries such as the Mosselle (Mosel), that runs in an south westernly direction bordering Luxembourg and on into France, the Neckar that flows south east at Manneheim on through Heidelburg, Germany the Main, flowing in an easternly direction and then south from Mainz through Frankfurt.

East of Frankfurt is where The Rhine-Main-Danube Canal links the Rhine with the Danube providing a transcontinental route from the North Sea to the Black Sea. This route is very important for the tones of cargo going through the Rhine The total catchment area for the river is 185,000km2 Germany has How to Cite this Page MLA Citation: 100,000km2 and Switzerland, France and the Netherlands each cover 20-30,000kms approximately. The total number of people living within the catchment is only 50 millions, however when the Rhine floods it is very costly to the habitants. The river is sectioned into 6 parts: 1. The Alpine Rhine- which is from the confluences (basically where a small river joins onto a larger one) near Reichneau in Switzerland and then it flows from its sources down to Lake Constance. 2. The Higher Rhine-, which is from Lake Constance to Bäsel where the river is used for Hydro-Electric Power. 3. Upper Rhine- from Bäsel to Bingen, where it goes over floodplains. 4.

Middle Rhine- which is when the river goes from Bingen to Cologne (Germany) where it passes lots of majestic castles and this part is probably the most beautiful and is used by companies for cruises for this very reason. 5. Lower Rhine- when it flows from Cologne to Lobith. 6. Delta Rhine- from Lobith to the North Sea. The River Rhine’s main tributaries are; the Are, Neckar, Main, Nahe, Lahn. Mosel, Ruhr and the Lippe. Due to the river running through quite a few countries it has several names due to the change in language so it is also called the German Rhein, France and Swiss Rhine and the Dutch The River Rhine is a major international waterway; it is also one of the most essential and significant river basins in the whole of Europe. It is one of the well-known rivers of Europe and pollution has affected its whole ecosystem in a very bad way. The river flows from the Alps high in Switzerland to the north of the country and then west along its border across to Germany while passing the large city of Bäsel.

It then flows north passing France’s border and one of its main cities called Strasbourg and it keeps on carrying on north past some of the main cities in Germany such as Cologne and Mainz. The river then flows west slightly after passing Luxembourg towards the direction of the north sea and slightly higher than the Netherlands border to Belgium roughly 45km and then past Rotterdam (city in Netherlands) and finally goes out into the North Sea. We say the Mouth of the river is the name for where the river ends and flows out to a sea or lake and in the River Rhine’s case it is the North Sea. The river is highly developed with a lot of trade, industry and also due to agriculture importing and exporting both has caused a dense population along the river itself. The river is a key transporting river and is linked to some of the major cites and canals in Western Europe. The river as you can see below shows the complete course through all the countries. As we can see on the map there are lots of tributaries from the neighbouring countries, a few examples are the Aare in Switzerland and the Mosel and the Main in Germany. All these and the many other tributary rivers contribute to the vastness and hugeness of the River Rhine.

It spread through 4 major European countries including Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and France River Rhine's Ecosystem In every ecosystem in the world there are habitats, which vary in size, the Habitat is the place where a population lives. The population is the group or number of people of the same organism living in the same area and during the same period of time. The populations work together as a community while working with the non-living organisms around them to form an Ecosystem. The habitat provides the organisms with things like food, water, oxygen and the right temperature and minerals. The World depends quite a bit on the Freshwater ecosystems and is helpful to a lot of inland and adjacent towns and cities near to these Freshwater Ecosystems. Freshwater systems are very dense which allows resistance to moving animals and also supports them. The animals, which live in the Freshwater ecosystems must be able to put up with the force of the fast flowing water, the freshwater water is able to absorb lots of heat from the sun.

The majority of the time the temperature of the water remains constant but when hot water from industrial cooling machines are put into the river it causes the fish in the River Rhine to die and since the temperature goes up it means that the water is unable to hold far less oxygen which of course it not good for the fish since all the aquatic life involved need O2. The places where vegetation and trees do not grow on the banks of the rivers will obtain a high light intensity on the surface of the water. The small particles in the water, which are in suspension and discolour the water take in and absorb the light so the plants in deeper water will get light to photosynthesise and grow. The drawing in fig.1 below shows how the light intensity changes for plants, light, temperature, oxygen, carbon dioxide and organic matter as you go deeper into the water. 1. The main characteristics that are in a Freshwater ecosystem are mainly the natural or historical flows of patterns for streams, rivers and lakes. Patterns are crucial to keep the productivity of aquatic life constant (i.e. the growth of Algae or Phytoplankton) which form the base of an aquatic food web.

If Flow pattern is maintained then three should be an abundance of aquatic vegetation such as reeds, grasses, and flowering plants. The characteristic flow pattern of a lake, wetland, or stream critically affects the algae productivity and is also an important factor to be considered when determining how much nutrients there are such as nitrogen and phosphorus. 2. In river systems the movement of sediments and of organic matter is important to the component and structure of the habitat. Natural organic inputs and debris such as leaves and decaying plant material. Especially in the smaller rivers of the Rhine and streams the organic material that falls into the water provides an important source of energy and nutrients. In lakes such as the Lake Constance all heavy sediments fall permanently to the bottom. This provides the invertebrates, algae, vascular plants, and bacteria that populate the bottoms of freshwater systems (this helps the food web). These are highly adapted to adapted to the specific sediment and organic matter conditions of their environment, which helps them, grow and produce. These are crucial to the sustaining of Freshwater systems since they are largely responsible for much of the work of water purification, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. 3. As explained before the importance of water and light regulation which helps maintain the aquatic organisms.

Water regulates oxygen concentration, the metabolic rate of organisms and the fitness of aquatic organisms. 4. Natural nutrient and chemicals, which reflect the natural environment, climate, bedrock and vegetation type. Simply the better the water is chemically clean and filled with nutrients the further alga is produced hence the better biodiversity of aquatic organisms are found. Algae is fundamental since it is at the bottom of the food web it supports all the other organisms above it and therefore the more of it there is the better it is for the aquatic food web. 5. The community of species that lives in a Freshwater ecosystem reflects both the pool of species available in the region and the abilities of individual species to colonize and survive in that water body. The appropriateness of a freshwater ecosystem for any particular species is dictated by the environmental conditions –such as, water flow, sediment, temperature, light, and nutrient patterns — and the presence of, and relations among, other species in the system. Consequently, both the habitat and the biotic population provide controls that maintain a varied range of species. High species richness or biodiversity affords a kind of back up so that natural functions will continue during environmental stress (i.e. Pollution and other dangers).

A “sere” is the term used to describe a progression or succession of a place or vegetation. The River Rhine would come under a Hydrosere, which is like a Freshwater Ecosystem. A Hydrosere develops at the edges of a freshwater lake or pond. The pioneer species are the submerged plants, which can survive completely under water like algae or phytoplankton. Other plants such as lilies, which can survive in water and their roots, are generally submerged in water, and their flowering plants are found above the surface of the water. As the water becomes shallower as it goes gradually up the bank you tend to find more aquatic life such as reeds and bulrushes. They trap even more sediment, which causes it to break the surface, and this progresses with sledges, shrubs and tress like willows, which occupy the dry land. The river Rhine is also a wetland. This means the bank of the Rhine in places slows down the water, which allows silt and sediments to settle. The wetland plants absorb nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates.

The most likely wetland habitats that would be found in the River Rhine are generally Invertebrates such as dragonflies, marsh moths and grasshoppers. [IMAGE] Although the River Rhine is a large body of moving water it will also have like a typical Hydrosere some areas with slow moving water. Slow moving meandering streams and rivers, which contribute, to the river Rhine will develop the typical characteristics of a Hydrosere. Running freshwater communities are also known as Lotic communities, Lotic basically means running water. They are found by a variety of sources such as Rainfall, Ground Surface water and underground water. In the world there are many ecosystems, which are all being endangered in different ways, but by far the worst ecosystem in danger is the Freshwater Ecosystems. In Freshwater Ecosystems are found lakes, steams, rivers and also wetlands. Altogether there were roughly 47 different species of freshwater fish in the River Rhine however now due to environmental issues this number has been dramatically reduced to a mere 20 and still this could easily decrease due to lots of pollution, which shall be later explained.

Examples of the types of freshwater fish found there are Salmon, Trout, Haddock and Rockfish. There are other things like eels, squid s and octopuses. The total freshwater only takes up about 1% of the Earth's surface yet its inhabitants there are very important. There are in total approximately 8,000 types of Freshwater fish, which is about 40% of the total number of species of fish in the world. The Amazon River in Brazil itself due to its vastness contains 3,000 species of fish. Rhine: Introduction Rhine Introduction Rhine (rĪn) [ key ], Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea.

Its important tributaries are the Aare, Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr rivers; canals link the river with the Maas, Rhône-Saône, Marne, and Danube (via the Main) valleys. Sections in this article: Rhein (river) | Article about Rhein (river) by The Free Dictionary Rhein (river) | Article about Rhein (river) by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Rhine (rīn), Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea. Its important tributaries are the Aare, Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr rivers; canals link the river with the Maas, Rhône-Saône, Marne, and Danube (via the Main) valleys.

Course The Rhine's highest source, the Hinter Rhine, issues from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier more than 11,000 ft (3,353 m) above sea level and joins the Vorder Rhine, flowing from Lake Tuma, to form the Rhine proper at Reichenau, S of Chur, Switzerland. From Chur the river flows N to Lake Constance and then W over the 65-ft (20-m) Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen (harnessed for hydroelectric power by the Swiss) to Basel, c.500 mi (800 km) from the North Sea. At Basel the Rhine becomes the Upper Rhine of the Germans and turns sharply N to Mainz across the broad-floored Rhine rift valley, a large graben, or down-faulted block, between the Black Forest and the Vosges Mts. Navigation here is by way of a lateral canal through France as far as Strasbourg; below Strasbourg the riverbed has been improved for navigation.

Below Mainz, at Bingen, Germany, the Rhine leaves the rift valley and flows for c.80 mi (130 km) across the Rhenish Slate Mts. in a steep gorge, famous for its scenery and wines, with castles surviving from times when tolls were levied on the river's traffic, and landmarks such as the Lorelei and the Drachenfels. Beyond Bonn the river becomes the Lower Rhine of the Germans and emerges onto the North German Plain as a broad, sluggish, and increasingly polluted river flowing on a bed of deltaic deposits left by ancestors of the modern river. Efforts to solve the pollution problem began in the late 1970s and had achieved considerable, if not complete, success by the late 1990s. Just below Emmerich, on the border with the Netherlands, the modern delta begins, and the Rhine breaks up into two major distributaries, the Lek and the Waal. The Lek, which becomes the Nieuwe Maas, continues W to Rotterdam and then by the canalized New Waterway enters the North Sea at Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland).

The Waal, which merges with the waters of the Maas to form the Merwede, also flows west; the Merwede and the Bergsche Maas join to form the Hollandschdiep, an arm of the North Sea, 6 mi (9.6 km) SE of Dordrecht. A third distributary, known as the Crooked Rhine, leads to Utrecht and continues west to the sea as the Old Rhine; it is linked with Amsterdam by the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and thence by the North Sea Canal to the North Sea. Commerce The Rhine was declared free to international navigation in 1868, and in 1919 navigation of the river between Basel and Krimpen, on the Lek, and Gorinchem, on the Waal, was placed under the authority of the Central Rhine Commission, with headquarters at Strasbourg. Navigation above Basel is controlled jointly by Switzerland and Germany.

The river carries more traffic than any other waterway in the world and is navigable by oceangoing vessels as far as Mannheim, Germany, by river barges to Basel, Switzerland, and by pleasure craft and sightseeing boats on navigable stretches as far as Rheinfelden, Switzerland. Coal, coke, grain, timber, and iron ore are the principal cargoes carried on the river. Rotterdam is the chief outlet to the North Sea, and Duisburg, the outlet for the Ruhr industrial region, is the leading river port. The Rhine-Main-Danube canal, completed in 1992, now allows barge traffic between the North Sea and the Black Sea. Bibliography See W. Marsden, The Rhineland (1973); K.-W. Kock and G. Rohr, The Rhine (1987). Rhine a river in Western Europe. The Rhine has a length of 1,320 km (from the sources of the Vorderrhein) and drains an area of 224,400 sq km (not including the basin of the Meuse River). The Rhine flows into the North Sea.

The Rhine Valley is situated within the borders of Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), France, and the Netherlands. The Rhine rises in two headstreams in the Alps. The principal source—the Vorderrhein—joins the other source—the Hinterrhein—at the city of Reichenau. In this mountainous section the river breaks through the spurs of the Alps, the Jura, and the Schwarzwald, forming rapids and waterfalls (including the Rheinfall), and flows through Lake Constance. The largest left tributary, the Aare River, empties into the Rhine; after the merging of the two rivers, the width of the Rhine reaches 200 to 300 m. Below Basel the river changes its direction abruptly from east-west to north-south, and for a distance of more than 300 km it flows northward through the Upper Rhine Lowland, forming a terraced plain that attains a width of 10–12 km.

In places the riverbed has been straightened and embanked to protect the valley from flooding; its width ranges from 200 to 500 m. In this section the major right tributaries, the Neckar and the Main, enter the Rhine. The central course of the Rhine—from the city of Bingen to the mouth of the Sieg River—traverses a narrow silt valley, which in places has the appearance of a gorge, and cuts through the Rhenish Slate Mountains. The width of the Rhine near the Lorelei is 115 m. At Koblenz the Rhine is joined by the Mosel, an important left tributary. The lower course, which is situated within the central European Plain, has been straightened and embanked. The Rhine’s width ranges from 400 to 550 m, and in this section the river is joined by a right tributary, the Ruhr. In the Netherlands the Rhine, along with the Maas (Meuse) and Scheldt rivers, forms a complex delta.

Branches of the Rhine, principally the Waal and Lek rivers, are generally situated at a level higher than the adjacent lowland plain; for this reason they are embanked and protected by high dikes. The upper course of the Rhine is characterized by spring and summer high waters and by a small wintertime flow. Along the middle and lower sections, where the Rhine is joined by tributaries that are full of water during the winter and spring, the water regime becomes more complex, and the river has a great deal of water throughout the entire year. Such a regime is favorable for navigation. The Rhine’s branches are affected by the ocean tides, which occur twice every 24 hours and which cause the river level to rise 1.5 to 2 m. The average discharge is 420 cu m per sec at a point above the mouth of the Aare River, 1,030 cu m per sec at Basel, and approximately 2,500 cu m per sec at the point above which the Rhine divides into branches. The average annual flow is about 79 cu km.

The maximum flow rate at the river’s mouth exceeds 11,000 cu m per sec. The Rhine freezes over only during very cold winters for a period of up to one month. The Rhine is Western Europe’s most important international waterway. Regular navigation is maintained as far as Basel (886 km from the river’s mouth) and through Lake Constance. The river is navigable by small vessels above the city of Laufenburg. The Rhine is linked by canal with the Danube, Rhône, Marne, Weser, Elbe, and Ems rivers. Navigable tributaries include the Neckar, Main, Lahn, Mosel, and Ruhr. The total length of the waterways in the Rhine Basin is approximately 3,000 km. The average annual freight turnover, based on the turnover at the city of Emmerich (near the border of the FRG and the Netherlands), is about 100 million tons (in 1972, 102 million tons). Every day between 650 and 700 vessels travel on the river.

The Rhine’s principal ports are Rotterdam (with its outer port of Hoek van Holland) in the Netherlands; Duisburg, Cologne, Mainz, Ludwigshafen, and Mannheim in the FRG; Strasbourg in France, and Basel in Switzerland. Bonn, the capital of the FRG, is located on the Rhine. The hydroelectric power resources of the Rhine and its tributaries are utilized by the FRG, Switzerland, and France. By 1970 some 1.3 gigawatts had been harnessed in the Rhine Basin by the FRG (with total hydroelectric power resources estimated at 1.8 gigawatts). A cascade chain of 11 hydroelectric power plants has been built on the Rhine above Basel; prior to 1970 eight hydroelectric power plants were built on the Rhine-Rhône Canal between Basel and Strasbourg, including one at Kembs (1932) and one at Strasbourg (1970). The Rhine is badly polluted almost throughout its entire length.

The discharge of toxic wastes and waters heated by steam and atomic power plants has led to a decrease in the amount of soluble oxygen, which is necessary for the growth of many aquatic organisms. As a result, nearly all fish life has been exterminated. Engineering works have been carried out as part of the Delta Plan in the estuary region of the Rhine, Maas, and Scheldt rivers. Basically for protection against flooding, the project has included the construction of dikes and locks. The Delta Plan, however, has inflicted serious damage on the fish life and the numerous colonies of waterfowl at the mouth of the Rhine. A. P. M Rhine | WaterWiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The Rhine's origins are in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden, where its two main initial tributaries are called Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein . The Vorderrhein (anterior Rhine) springs from Lake Tuma near the Oberalp Pass and passes the impressive Ruinaulta (the Swiss Grand Canyon). The Hinterrhein (posterior Rhine) starts from the Paradies glacier near the Rheinquellhorn at the southern border of Switzerland.

Both tributaries meet near Reichenau, still in Graubünden. From Reichenau, the Rhine flows north as the Alpenrhein passing Chur and forming the frontier with Liechtenstein and then Austria, and then emptying into Lake Constance . Emerging from Lake Constance, flowing west as the Hochrhein it passes the Rhine Falls and is joined by the Aare river which more than doubles its water discharge to an average of nearly 1,000 cubic meters per second. It forms the boundary to Germany until it turns north at the so-called Rhine knee at Basel. Germany and France Edit Past Basel, as the Upper Rhine , it forms the southern part of the border between Germany and France in a wide valley, before entering Germany exclusively. At over 1000 kilometres in length, the Rhine is the longest river primarily within Germany. It is here that the Rhine encounters some of its main tributaries, such as the Neckar , the Main and later the Moselle , which contributes an average discharge of over 300 cubic meters per second.

Between Bingen and Bonn, the Middle Rhine flows through the Rhine Gorge , a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised. This gorge is quite deep, and is the stretch of the river known for its many castles and vineyards. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2002) and known as "the romantic Rhine" with more than 40 castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages (see links) and many lovely wine-villages. Though many industries can be found along the Rhine up into Switzerland, it is along the Lower Rhine in the Ruhr area that the bulk of them are concentrated. The Ruhr river, a surprisingly clean river used for drinking water production, adds another 70 cubic meters per second to the Rhine here; however other rivers from the Ruhr area, above all the Emscher , still cause a considerable degree of pollution . Approaching the Dutch border, the Rhine now has an average discharge of 2,290 cubic metres per second and an average width of more than 1,000 feet.

the Netherlands Edit The Rhine then turns west into the Netherlands, where together with the Meuse it forms an extensive delta . Crossing the border into the Netherlands at Spijk, the Rhine is at its widest, but the river then splits into three main distributaries : the IJssel , the Waal and the Nederrijn (Lower Rhine). From here the situation becomes more complicated, as the name "Rhine" no longer coincides with the main flow of water. Most of the Rhine water (two thirds) flows further west through the Waal and then via the Nieuwe Waterweg and, merging with the Meuse, through the Hollands Diep and Haringvliet estuaries into the North Sea . The other third portion of the water flows through the Pannerdens kanaal and redistributes in the IJssel and Nederrijn. The IJssel branch carries one third of the water north into the IJsselmeer while the Nederrijn flows west parallel to the Waal and carries approximately two ninths of the flow. However, beyond Wijk bij Duurstede the Nederrijn changes its name and becomes the Lek .

It flows further west to rejoin the main flow into the Nieuwe Waterweg. The name "Rhine" from here on is used only for smaller streams further to the north which together once formed the main river Rhine in Roman times. Though they retained the name, these streams do not carry water from the Rhine anymore, but are used for draining the surrounding land and polders . From Wijk bij Duurstede, the old north branch of the Rhine is called Kromme Rijn ("Crooked Rhine") and past Utrecht, first Leidse Rijn (" Leiden Rhine") and then Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine"). In Leiden, the river splits into Oude Rijn and Nieuwe Rijn. After the castle, the Burcht, the Rhine merges into the Rijn, or Rhine. The latter flows west into a sluice at Katwijk , where its waters can be discharged into the North Sea . This branch once formed the line along which the Upper Germanic limes were built.

Large cities on the Rhine Basel, Straßburg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne / Köln, Düsseldorf, Neuss, Krefeld, Duisburg, Arnhem / Arnheim Smaller cities on the Rine Konstanz, Schaffhausen, Speyer, Worms, Bingen, Rüdesheim, Neuwied, Andernach, Bad Honnef, Königswinter, Niederkassel, Wesseling, Dormagen, Zons, Monheim am Rhein, Wesel, Xanten, Emmerich am Rhein. Tributaries Edit Since the Rhine flows from the Alps , a precondition of its existence is the uplifting of the Alps, which began in the Alpine Orogeny . The stage was set in the Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, with the opening of Tethys Sea between the Eurasian and the African plates , between about 240 MBP and 220 MBP. The Mediterranean descends from this somewhat larger Tethys sea.

At about 180 MBP, in the Jurassic Period, the two plates reversed direction and began to compress Tethys floor, causing it to be subducted under Eurasia and pushing up the edge of the latter plate in the Alpine Orogeny of the Oligocene and Miocene Periods. Several microplates were caught in the squeeze and rotated or were pushed laterally, generating the individual features of Mediterranean geography: Iberia pushed up the Pyrenees ; Italy the Alps, and Anatolia, moving west, the mountains of Greece and the islands. The compression and the orogeny continue today, as the ongoing raising of the mountains a small amount each year and the active volcanoes signify. Just to the north of the Alpine Orogeny were highlands resulting from an earlier orogeny ( Variscan ) along similar lines. These highlands helped to divert the Rhine to the west; however, the Rhine's course is set by the Rhine graben, a rift that opened in the Eocene and Oligocene periods between the western Alps and the central Alps, caused by their moving in slightly different directions. The rift does not seem to be active now.

Stream Capture Edit The watershed of the Rhine reaches into the Alps today, but it did not start out that way (Berendsen & Stouthamer, 2001; Fig. 2.2 [1] ). In the Miocene period, the watershed of the Rhine reached south only to the Eifel and Westerwald hills, about 450 km north of the Alps. The Rhine then had the Sieg as a tributary, but not yet the Mosel . The northern Alps were drained by the Donau then. Through stream capture , the Rhine extended its watershed southward. By the Pliocene period, the Rhine had captured streams down to the Vosges mountains, including the Mosel, the Main , and the Neckar . The northern Alps were drained by the Rhône then. By the early Pleistocene period, the Rhine had captured most of its current Alpine watershed from the Rhône, including the Aare .

Since that time, the Rhine has added the watershed above Lake Constance ( Vorderrhein , Hinterrhein , Alpenrhein ; captured from the Rhône), the upper reaches of the Main (beyond Schweinfurt ), and the Vosges mountains (captured from the Meuse ) to its watershed. Ice Age Edit The Pleistocene (~2.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago) was the geological period of the Ice Ages. Since approximately 600,000 years ago six major Ice Ages occurred, in which sealevel dropped 120 m, and much of the continental margins became exposed. In the Early Pleistocene, the Rhine followed a course to the NW, through the present North Sea. During the so-called Elsterien glaciation (~420,000 yr BP, marine oxygen isotope stage 12) the northern part of the present North Sea was blocked by the ice, and a large lake developed, that overflowed through the English Channel. This caused the Rhine course to be diverted through the English Channel.

Since then, during glacial times, the river mouth was located near Brest(France), and rivers like the Thames, and Seine became tributaries to the Rhine. During interglacials, when sealevel rose to approximately the present level, the Rhine built a delta in what is now called The Netherlands. During the last Ice Age (~70,000-10,000 yr BP= Before Present), at the end of the Pleistocene , the lower Rhine flowed roughly west through the Netherlands and then to the southwest, through the English Channel, and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. The English and Irish Channels, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea were still dry land, mainly because sea level was approximately 120 m lower than today. At about 5000 BC, flooding and erosion began to open the English Channel. Most of the Rhine's current course was not under the ice during the last Ice Age, although its source must then have been a glacier. A tundra with Ice Age flora and fauna stretched across middle Europe from Asia to the Atlantic Ocean. Such was the case during the Last Glacial Maximum , ca.

22,000-14,000 yr BP, when ice covered Scandinavia and the Baltic, Britain and the Alps, but left the space between as open tundra. The loess , or wind-blown dust over that tundra settled in and around the Rhine Valley, contributing to its current agricultural usefulness. These events were well within the residence of man. Melt water adding to the ocean and land subsidence drowned the former coasts of Europe. The water is still rising, at the rate of about 1-3 mm per year. Further drowning is to come. Rapid warming and change of vegetation to open forest began about 13,000 BP. By 9000 BP, Europe was fully forested. About 7000-5000 BP a general warming encouraged migration up the Danube and down the Rhine by peoples to the east, who may also have been encouraged by the sudden massive expansion of the Black Sea as the Mediterranean burst into it through the Bosphorus at about 7500 BP. At least one unsuccessful search for remains of villages on the floor of the Black Sea has been conducted.

Prehistory Edit During the Middle Palaeolithic , ca 100,000-30,000 BP (the dates vary a geat deal) western Europe, including the Rhine and Danube Valleys, was occupied by Neanderthal Man, to which belonged the Mousterian culture of stone tools. Mousterian sites are not considered intrusive. It is believed that the Neanderthals may have evolved from the preceding Homo erectus in the vicinity of the glaciers, but the question has by no means been settled definitively. Neanderthal sites are denser to the south, where open forest prevailed and the limestone terrain offered more caves as dwelling. The Rhine ran through an open tundra, where Neanderthals hunted big game, such as the woolly rhinoceros and the mammoth. Accordingly, open air Mousterian sites have been discovered in and around the Rhine valley. Upper Palaeolithic Edit During the early Iron Age , both banks of the Rhine were inhabited by Celtic tribes.

However, in the beginning of the Pre-Roman Iron Age, ca 600 BC, the Proto-Germanic tribes crossed the Weser River and the Aller River , and expanded the whole distance to the banks of the Rhine. This expansion is shown archaeologically in the form of the Jastorf culture. From ca 500 BC and onwards, the lower Rhine and not the Weser and the Aller would increasingly mark the border between the Celtic tribes and the Germanic tribes. Historic and Military Relevance Edit The human history of the Rhine begins with the writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. Nearly all the classical sources mention the Rhine, and the name is always the same: Rhenus in Latin, Greek Rhenos. The Romans viewed the Rhine as the outermost border of civilization and reason, beyond which were mythical creatures and the wild Germans, not far themselves from being beasts of the wilderness they inhabited. As it was a wilderness, the Romans were eager to explore it.

This view is typified by Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a long public inscription of Augustus in which he (or his ghost writer) boasts of his exploits, including sending an expeditionary fleet north of the Rhinemouth to Jutland, which no Roman had ever done (he says). Throughout the long history of Rome, the Rhine was considered the border between Gaul or the Celts and the Germans, even though the border often was violated, as when the Germanics crossed it and joined with the Celts to form the Belgae (descending to Belgium). Typical of this point of view is a quote from Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil (On Book 8 Line 727): "(Rhenus) fluvius Galliae, qui Germanos a Gallia dividit" "(The Rhine is a) river of Gaul, which divides the Germans from Gaul." The Rhine in the earlier sources was always a Gallic river. As the conflict between Rome and the Germanics grew, the Romans found it necessary to station troops along the Rhine.

They kept two army groups there (exercitus), the inferior, or "lower", and the superior, or "upper", which is the first distinction between upper Germany and lower Germany. It originally probably only meant upstream and downstream, the Niederrhein and Oberrhein regions of the map included with this article. The Romans kept eight legions in five bases along the Rhine. The actual number of legions present at any base or in all depended on whether a state or threat of war existed. The two originally military districts of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior came to influence the surrounding tribes, who later respected the distinction in their alliances and confederations. For example, the upper Germans combined into the Alemanni. For a time the Rhine ceased to be a border when a union of all the west Germanics, the Franks, crossed the river and occupied Roman-dominated Celtic Gaul as far as Paris. Subsequently language changes began to play a major political role. West Germanic dissimilated into Low German and High German roughly along the old lines. Perhaps it had been doing so all along. Charlemagne united all the Franks in the Holy Roman Empire, but he did not rule over a people of uniform language.

After his death the empire split more or less along language lines, with the Low German being spoken in the Netherlands and the High German in what became Germany. The Romanized Franks became the French. The Rhine once again became a political border. The Rhine as border has been and is a mystical and political symbol. German authors and composers have written reams about it. During World War II, it was still considered the sacred border of Germany, and was still a defensive barrier. The Germans fought especially hard to defend it. The Rhine is closely linked to many important historical events — particularly military ones — in the adjacent states. For example: The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which finally established the Rhine as the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. It was a historic object of frontier trouble between France and Germany. Establishing France's "natural borders" on the Rhine was a long term goal of French foreign policy since the middle ages. French leaders such as Louis XIV and Napoleon Bonaparte tried with varying degrees of success to annex lands west of the Rhine. In 1840 the Rhine crisis evolved, because the French prime minister Adolphe Thiers started to talk about the Rhine border.

In response, the nationalistic song The Watch on the Rhine (Die Wacht am Rhein) was composed at that time and during the Franco-Prussian War it rose to the status of an national anthem in Germany. The song calls for defending the Rhine against France. The song remained popular in World War I. At the end of WWI the Rhineland was subject to the Treaty of Versailles, which created lots of bitterness in Germany, and was one of the many reasons for World War II. The reoccupation of the Rhineland by Nazi Germany increased Hitler's popularity in Germany. The Rhine bridge at Arnhem, immortalized in "A Bridge Too Far", was a central focus of the battle for Arnhem during the failed Operation Market Garden of September 1944. The Rhine bridge of Remagen became famous in World War II when the Germans failed to demolish the bridge in time and the allied troops were able to establish a bridgehead - much to their own surprise. Mainz Cathedral - Over 1,000-year-old cathedral is seat to the Bishop of Mainz. Holds significant historic value as seat to the once politically powerful secular prince-archbishop within the Holy Roman Empire.

Houses historical funerary monuments and religious artifacts. Das Rheingold - The Rhine is one of the settings for the first opera of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle. The action of the epic opens and ends underneath the Rhine, where three Rhinemaidens swim and protect a hoard of gold. Nibelung - Siegfried/ Sigurd, hero of the Nibelungenlied killed his dragon on the Drachenfels (Siebengebirge) "dragons rock" near Bonn

Question: The Neckar, Main and Ruhr are tributaries of which river?
Answer: Rhine