RHINE RIVER

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Context

• Following a period of intense rain and snowmelt, the Rhine River in southern Germany remained impassable for ships.

About Rhine River

• The Rhine River rises in the Swiss Alps (in Switzerland) and is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe after the Danube.
• The appellation of the Rhine River varies according on the nation it traverses.
• Rhine is the name given to it in France, Rhein in Germany, and Rijn in the Netherlands.
• The river starts in the southeast Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden.
• It is a portion of the borders between Switzerland and Germany, Austria, and Lichtenstein.
• Subsequently, the Rhine delineates a significant portion of the Franco-German frontier, subsequently meandering predominantly northward into the German Rhineland.
• The Rhine finally changes its course in Germany, flowing mostly westward into the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea.
• Before emptying into the North Sea in Rotterdam, the Rhine passes through six nations: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
• Much of the northern inland border of the Roman Empire was formed by the Rhine and Danube, and ever since then, the Rhine has played a crucial role as a navigable waterway, transporting commodities and trade far inland.
• Its importance as a waterway in the Holy Roman Empire is attested to by the numerous castles and defences constructed along it.
• Among the largest and most important cities on the Rhine are Cologne, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Strasbourg, Nijmegen, and Basel.
• Tributaries: Some of the notable tributaries of the Rhine River include Aare, Tamina, Moselle, Erft, Rein da Tuma, Plessur, Rotach, and Wiese.
• It facilitates industrial transportation and supports industrial production, with about 20% of the world’s chemical industries manufacturing along the river.