River · Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria
Rhine
The Rhine River flows from the Swiss Alps through several European countries to the North Sea, carrying more cargo ships than almost any other river on Earth. Legends and castles line its banks.
Picture credit: Jörg Braukmann (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Gerda Arendt (CC0) · Gerda Arendt (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Rhine?
The river begins at Tomasee (Lai da Tuma), Graubünden, Switzerland.
It ends in the North Sea.
Along the way it passes: Tomasee (source) → Chur → Lake Constance → Rhine Falls, Schaffhausen → Basel → Strasbourg → Karlsruhe → Mannheim → Mainz → Koblenz.
Countries on the river: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg.
The story behind it
The Rhine begins as glacier meltwater high in the Swiss Alps, trickling from a small lake called Tomasee before rushing downhill and passing through Lake Constance. Near the town of Schaffhausen it tumbles over the Rhine Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Europe, before flowing north past vineyards, medieval castles and the famous Lorelei rock, said in legend to be home to a siren whose singing lured sailors to their doom. As one of the busiest waterways in the world, the Rhine carries huge barges loaded with coal, chemicals and containers between Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, supporting some of Europe's largest ports. Salmon, once nearly wiped out by pollution, have slowly returned to the river thanks to decades of clean-up efforts, a rare conservation success story for a heavily used industrial river.
Questions children ask
How long is the Rhine River?
The Rhine is about 1,230 kilometres long, flowing from the Swiss Alps through Germany, France and the Netherlands before reaching the North Sea.
Why is the Rhine River important for shipping?
The Rhine is one of the busiest waterways in the world, carrying huge barges full of coal, chemicals and goods between major European ports. It connects landlocked regions to the sea, making trade much easier.
What is the legend of the Lorelei?
The Lorelei is a steep rock on the Rhine where, according to German legend, a beautiful siren sat singing and distracted sailors, causing their boats to crash. Today it remains a famous stop for river cruises.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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