Rivers for transport

Rivers are used for transport, especially those which have been made navigable. Rivers were used for transporting goods long before we had roads and railways. Today, boats are larger, and can carry more cargo. Navigable rivers and canals have been made deeper. A barge can travel up the River Rhine from the port of Rotterdam at its mouth to Basle in Switzerland. This is a journey of about 800 kilometres.

Transport facts

• Canals have been made on the River Moselle between Germany and France. Barges may carry cargo between the two countries.
• In 1992 a canal was opened for barges to travel between the River Rhine and the River Danube. These boats can travel between the North Sea and the Black Sea. This is a distance of about 2000 kilometres.
• In 1990 an old canal was opened between the River Avon and the River Thames, linking Bristol and London.

Rivers are also used to transport logs from nearby forests to paper mills and other logging industries. It is a cheap and efficient method of transporting logs.