Rhine

The Rhine[lower-alpha 2] is one of the major European rivers. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, Swiss-German borders. After that the Rhine defines much of the Franco-German border, after which it flows in a mostly northerly direction through the German Rhineland. Finally in Germany the Rhine turns into a predominantly westerly direction and flows into the Netherlands where it eventually empties into the North Sea.

Rhine
The Rhine in Basel, Switzerland
Map of the Rhine basin
Etymology	Celtic Rēnos
Native name	Rhein  (German) Rhin  (French)[1] Rijn  (Dutch) Rien  (Limburgish) Ragn  (Sutsilvan) Rain  (Romansh) Rhi(n)  (Alemannic German) Rhing  (Low Franconian languages)
Location
Countries	Switzerland Liechtenstein Austria Germany France Netherlands
Rhine Basin	Switzerland Liechtenstein Vorarlberg, South and Western Germany Alsace, France Luxembourg Belgium Netherlands Val di Lei, Italy
Region	Central and Western Europe
Largest cities	Cologne Rotterdam Düsseldorf Duisburg Strasbourg Nijmegen Basel
Physical characteristics
Source	Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein
• location	Tomasee (Romansh: Lai da Tuma), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
• coordinates	46°37′57″N 8°40′20″E
• elevation	2,345 m (7,694 ft)
2nd source	Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
• location	Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
Source confluence	Reichenau
• location	Tamins, Graubünden, Switzerland
• coordinates	46°49′24″N 9°24′27″E
• elevation	585 m (1,919 ft)
Mouth	North Sea
• location	Netherlands
• coordinates	51°58′54″N 4°4′50″E
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	1,230 km (760 mi)[lower-alpha 1]
Basin size	185,000 km2 (71,000 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	2,900 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s)
• minimum	800 m3/s (28,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	13,000 m3/s (460,000 cu ft/s)
[2]

It is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe (after the Danube), at about 1,230 km (760 mi),[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 3] with an average discharge of about 2,900 m³/s (100,000 cu ft/s).

The Rhine and the Danube comprised much of the Roman Empire's northern inland boundary, and the Rhine has been a vital navigable waterway bringing trade and goods deep inland since those days. The various castles and defenses built along it attest to its prominence as a waterway in the Holy Roman Empire. Among the largest and most important cities on the Rhine are Cologne, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Strasbourg, Nijmegen, and Basel.