The Rhine

Facts

Location

The Rhine is a European river. Its source is high in the Swiss Alps. The Rhine starts as a small mountain stream, getting its water from melting snow from glaciers. It is a fast flowing stream which runs down to Lake Constance. From Lake Constance, the Rhine marks the boundary between France and Switzerland. It is joined by two tributaries: the Moselle and the Ruhr on its journey to the North Sea. It flows through the Rhine gorge towards its mouth which is a delta at the port of Rotterdam by the North Sea.

The Rhine delta is a very special delta. Lakes have formed within the Rhine delta. The Dutch people have changed these lakes by cutting them off from the sea. They have built walls of brick and stone called dykes. Then they pumped the water from the land using windmills. The water from these delta lakes was then transported by other small canals to the sea and rivers. This created some new land and the Dutch have used this very fertile land for growing crops.

Canals

The Rhine is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Rhine-Rhone canal. It is joined to the Black Sea by the Rhine-Danube canals. The Rhine is the busiest waterway in the World and cargo is transported all over Europe and the rest of the World using these two canals. Barges on the canals are quicker than transporting the cargo by roads. The barges carry iron ore, steel, coal, petrol and other heavy cargo. The Rhine is a very important waterway.

The Rhine and pollution

Many years ago, the Rhine was considered as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. In 1986 the river was severely polluted by a chemical factory fire. 30 tonnes of pesticides (used for farming) ended up in the river killing many animals and fish for 100-200 kilometres downstream of the spill. But the governments of the countries through which the Rhine flows cleaned up the river and made it habitable again for wildlife. The Rhine Action Programme has been set up to check the levels of pollution in the river.

The Rhine and tourism

The Rhine valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in the World and people often go there on holiday. They can take a cruise along the Rhine in one of its floating hotels. Also they can have a day trip on a boat to view the beautiful scenery and the many castles along the Rhine gorge.