Rhine
Sign in to saveThe Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers of Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Constance downstream, it forms part of the Swiss-German border. After that the Rhine defines much of the Franco-German border. It then flows in a mostly northerly direction through the German Rhineland. Finally, the Rhine turns to flow predominantly west to enter the Netherlands, eventually emptying into the North Sea. It drains an area of 185,000 km2.
AI overview
The Rhine is one of Europe's major rivers, flowing from the Swiss Alps through several countries including Switzerland, Germany, and France before emptying into the North Sea in the Netherlands. It matters because it forms important natural borders between multiple nations and drains a vast area of 185,000 square kilometers across the continent.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- River.name
- Rhine
- River.name_etymology
- Celtic Rēnos
- River.image
- Middle Bridge, Basel, Switzerland.JPG
- River.image_size
- 300
- River.image_caption
- The Rhine in Basel, Switzerland
- River.map
- Flusssystemkarte Rhein 04.jpg
- River.map_size
- 240
- River.map_caption
- Map of the Rhine basin
- River.pushpin_map_size
- 240
- River.subdivision_type1
- Countries
- River.subdivision_type2
- Rhine Basin
- River.subdivision_type3
- Region
- River.subdivision_name3
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Name
- Geography
- Headwaters and sources
- Sources
- Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine
- Alpine Rhine
- Lake Constance
- Obersee
- Seerhein
- Untersee
- High Rhine
- Upper Rhine
- Middle Rhine
- Lower Rhine
- Delta
- Geologic history
- Alpine orogeny
- Stream capture
- End of the last glacial period
- Holocene delta
- Military and cultural history
- Antiquity
- Medieval and modern history
- Lists of features
- Cities on the Rhine
- Countries and borders
- Bridges
- Former distributaries
- Canals
- See also
- Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers of Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Constance downstream, it forms part of the Swiss-German border. After that the Rhine defines much of the Franco-German border. It then flows in a mostly northerly direction through the German Rhineland. Finally, the Rhine turns to flow predominantly west to enter the Netherlands, eventually emptying into the North Sea. It drains an area of 185,000 km2.
Its name derives from the Gaulish Rēnos. There are two German states named after the river, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, in addition to several districts (e.g. Rhein-Sieg). The departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin in Alsace (France) are also named after the river. Some adjacent towns are named after it, such as Rheinau, Stein am Rhein, Rheineck, Rheinfelden (Switzerland) and Rheinfelden (Germany).