How long is the rhine river

The source is in the Tomasee, located near the Oberalp pass in Switzerland. From this mountain lake at an altitude of 2, m the 'Vorderrhein' is flowing as a narrow stream towards the east. At the Rheinschlucht, an impressive mountain gorge, the Rhine has already become a strong flowing watercourse. The tributary 'Hinterrhein' joins at Reichenau.

After passing the city of Chur the river flows in a spacious bend to Lake Constance Bodensee. From here the Rhine continues in western direction to Basel. Herer the river starts a long journey through Germany. The first part acts as the border between France and Germany. Not far away from Emmerich the river is approaching the Netherlands.

Via different rivers the Rhine finds its way in the Dutch delta. The main part of the water flows through the port of Rotterdam and ends in the North Sea at Hoek van Holland. Smaller craft do not display a blue flag, but should of course be out of the main channel and attentive to what may be incorrectly interpreted as erratic zigzagging by commercial traffic.

Locks — There are 10 locks, all built as part of important hydroelectric power schemes. Each lock comprises two chambers side by side, one by 24m, the other by 12m. In view of the heavier traffic downstream of the busy port of Strasbourg 12 million tonnes per year , the two locks added in the s and early s, at Gambsheim and Iffezheim, each have two by 24m chambers.

Draught — There is a guaranteed draught of 3. On the canalised river the available draught at the normal stage of the river is 2. Headroom — All the fixed bridges offer a clear headroom of 7. PK Inland Waterways International. The information published here results from more than ten years personal experience cruising the waterways from north to south and east to west. River Rhine French Waterways in Detail. River cruises on the Rhine and Moselle. Finally the Rhine reaches the Netherlands , a completely flat country, where it joins several other rivers on its final journey to Rotterdam and the sea.

The River Rhine is called different names depending on the country it flows through. Many years ago, the Rhine was considered as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe.

Within 10 days the pollution had travelled the length of the Rhine and into the North Sea. By the year , the programme aims to achieve a return to the river species such as the salmon which once thrived there. The use of the river for extracting drinking water is also safeguarded. BBC map showing likely places where pollution could occur pressures. Cleaning up the River Rhine. Map - www. Causes of the Floods.