RHINE RIVER: SOURCE, ROUTE, MOUTH, TRIBUTARIES, FLORA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Rhine River is a tributary of Europe that runs through part of the territory of Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Its basin occupies 185,000 km ² on which 58 million inhabitants live.

It is considered the most important waterway in the European Union due to the commercial activity generated on its banks and the tonnage of finished goods and raw materials that move through its waters. It is a vital means for the integration of the countries that make up the bloc locally and an engine that drives its global competitiveness.

This important tributary has 883 navigable km. Photo: TA from Düsseldorf, Allemagne

History

Old age

Archaeological and documentary evidence show that the Romans navigated its waters from 58 BC. C. to take strategic advantage of its position, promoting trade by transporting sumptuous construction materials such as marble.

Historically the river Rhine, next to the Danube, served as the boundary between the Roman Empire and the Germanic territory, who longed to add it to their domain. Along this natural border, they built various surveillance points and cities to strengthen control over the border areas.

Among the most important is the city of Cologne, founded in 20 BC. C. and Mainz, founded towards 12 a. Both served as garrisons in view of the conquest of Germania.

In the 9 d. The east bank of the river Rhine, to the north of what Germany currently occupies, took place the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. The Emperor Augustus wanted to extend his dominion from the river Rhine to the Elbe and, after some minor confrontations, managed to set up outpost camps in the interior of Germania.

In autumn three legions made up of about 20,000 soldiers commanded by Publio Quintilio Varo, appointed governor of Germania in 7 AD. C., They undertook their return to the territory consolidated by Rome west of the Rhine, when they received news of an uprising that decided to rebel before crossing the river again.

They were attacked on a narrow road along the edge of the Teutoburg Forest, by Cherusci under the command of Arminius, a former ally who knew their strategies and weaknesses very well after having spent his younger years in Rome. Advancing slowly in columns, the powerful Roman army offered its flank to its enemies, who waited camouflaged in the forest for the ideal moment to execute their ambush.

Taking advantage of the difficulties that the terrain presented, Arminius ruthlessly attacked the Roman forces for three days until their complete extermination. Very few survivors managed to cross the Rhine and escape the German fury. There were no prisoners, with the loss of three Eagles from the XVII, XVIII and XIX legions this battle went down in history as the first great defeat of the Roman Empire.

On December 31, 406 A.D. C. a contingent of men, women and children of three tribes (Swabians, Alans and Vandals) that added an approximate of 25,000 people, crossed the Rhine at the height of Mainz taking advantage of the frozen walkway by the cold of winter, to invade and loot Gaul.

Napoleonic wars

In 1800, in the framework of the Napoleonic Wars, the Austrian forces lost the battles of Marengo and Hohenlinden, being forced to sign the Treaty of Lunéville by which 60,000 km ² on the left bank of the Rhine were annexed to France.

In 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte created by decree the Confederation of the Rhine, made up of almost all the German states with the exception of Austria, Prussia and Brunswick, of which he proclaimed himself "Protector", thus controlling both banks of the Rhine.

The Confederation of the Rhine was replaced by the Germanic Confederation, which grouped the Germanic states east of the river after Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, fought between October 16 and 19, 1813.

The territories on both sides of the Rhine River, a region known as the Rhineland, have been the subject of historical disputes between Germany and France, sowing rejection among the German population for the repeated attempts of the French government to annex the territories west of the river.

World wars

At the end of the First World War a special regime for the Rhineland was stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, the demilitarization of the area and the temporary occupation by allied forces were established for up to 15 years after the ratification of the treaty.

The German state of Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations, while the territories of Eupen and Malmedy passed to Belgium as part of the restitution actions. During the Allied occupation, France tried unsuccessfully to declare the independence of the occupied territory, giving it the name of the Republic of the Rhineland. This secessionist attempt was unsuccessful and further fueled the rejection of the population.

In 1936, Adolf Hitler breached the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops to the Rhineland without being stopped by the allied forces, due to a combination of internal situations that prevented an immediate pronouncement and bypassing this transgression. The occupation was well received and supported by the local population.

During World War II, between 1944 and 1945, various clashes took place on both banks of the Rhine that ended with the defeat of the German forces.

General characteristics

The strategic position of the River Rhine has been recognized since ancient times by the peoples who inhabited and conquered its banks, from which they took political and economic advantage. Its most relevant characteristics derive precisely from its location and the actions carried out historically through its waters and around its channel.

International river

The river Rhine is categorized as an international river, since its waters bathe part of the territory of six countries from its source to its mouth.

In some sections, the waters of the Rhine serve as a border between neighboring nations such as Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Austria, as well as France and Germany.

In 1868, in the Mannheim Convention the determination of the international river for the Rhine was made official, guaranteeing through this act the free passage of Switzerland to the North Sea.

Fluvial artery

This important tributary has 883 navigable km, connecting the economies of the six countries that it encounters on its way to the sea with the presence of multiple ports.

Very diverse industries have been installed on its banks, which take advantage of its waters to transfer raw materials for processing and finished products for commercialization. Similarly, a powerful tourism sector is developing with passenger ports for national and international transfers.

Environmental condition

The growth of the cities on its banks and their economic development have brought negative consequences to the ecological balance of the Rhine. However, the joint actions of the governments of the countries it runs have managed to cushion these effects by restoring the health of this important water resource.

Sandoz spill

One of the most profound impacts occurred on November 1, 1986, when a fire broke out in a warehouse of the Sandoz company, located in the industrial area of ​​Schweizerhalle, in Switzerland.

The spill produced the combustion of 1,351 tons of chemical products, mainly pesticides and agrochemicals. The fire was controlled with the help of river water and it is estimated that at least 30 tons of these chemicals were diluted, returning to the Rhine without treatment.

Thousands of fish were affected by the high concentration of chemicals that had reached the water. The company was forced to implement clean-up and recovery plans with the help of the Rhine governments.

The work spanned 20 years with periodic monitoring of the sanitation of the waters. By 2006, studies confirmed that the waters had recovered from the impact produced by this catastrophe.

Microplastics

In 2015, specialists in marine biology raised the alarms about the presence of contamination by microplastics, stating that the river Rhine is the most affected in the world by carrying approximately 30 kilos of this material per day to the sea, accounting for an annual total of 10 tons..

Microplastics are an international concern since their presence in the seas and oceans affects marine food chains, putting species for human consumption at risk.

With the aim of protecting and working on the reintroduction of displaced native species, Unesco declared the Upper Rhine Valley a World Heritage Site, in order to coordinate international actions more efficiently.

tourism

In addition to transport and industrial activity, the river Rhine has great tourist potential. One of its most famous attractions is the Route through the Rhine Valley, which runs from Koblenz to Mainz.

Along this section there are large vineyards where wine tourism activities take place, located between villas with castles and monuments that witnessed the rich medieval history of the area.

Located in Germany, in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Rhine Valley route has 65 km of geological, cultural and historical treasures declared by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage of Humanity in June 2002.

Birth, route and mouth

The Rhine rises in the Swiss Alps, at 2,345 meters above sea level, specifically in Lake Toma, located in the Canton of Grisons.

The formation of its channel was a consequence of the elevation of the Swiss Alps, which formed a crack through which the water of Lake Toma and other bodies of water in the area moved.

After its source in the Swiss Alps, the river Rhine begins its descent and forms the border between this country and Liechtenstein, at the confluence of the Vorderrhein and the Hinterrhein.

When leaving the Alps, it serves as the border between Liechtenstein and Austria and forms Lake Constance, going from 2,345 meters above sea level from its source to 395 meters above sea level. Then, in its passage through Basel, it forms the border between France and Germany.

At this point the Rhine enters German territory through the Ruhr mining region. On its way out of Germany it passes through the Netherlands, where it divides in two and shares the delta with the Meuse river, before reaching its mouth in the North Sea.

Main cities that travels

Currently, the Rhine basin inhabits more than 58 million people distributed in nine countries. Only in Germany does the river flow through the Ruhr region, one of the most populated urban areas in Europe.

The most important cities on the banks of Switzerland are Chur, Schaffhausen and Basel. In the principality of Liechtenstein its capital Vaduz bathes; in Austria Lustenau and in France Strasbourg.

During his long journey through Germany he touches many riverside cities. Among them, those with more than 100,000 inhabitants are Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Leverkusen, Düsseldorf, Krefeld and Duisburg.

In the Netherlands, with more than 50,000 inhabitants are Nijmegen, Arnhem, Doetinchem, Deventer, Kampen, Utrecht and Rotterdam.

Tributaries

The Rhine is fed by the waters of rivers and lakes along its route to the sea, among these are Tamina, Elz, Neckar, Düssel, Moselle, Wolf, Ruhr, Kinzig, Lahn, Lippe, Nahe, Rednitz, Sieg, Alzette, Meurthe, Sarre, Our, Wiltz, Aar, Birs, Emme, Limago, Linth, Orbe and Sense.

It also receives water from some lakes, among the most important Bienne, Brienz, the Four Cantons, Hallwil, Joux, Murten, Sihl, Zurich, Sempach and Türlen.

Flora

In the green areas that connect the cities on the riverbanks there is a great diversity of vegetation that varies depending on the height at which it develops. Ash trees, field Eryngo, goldenrod, hedges, oaks, thistles, black poplars, hawthorn, lady's robe, maples, chestnuts, beech, four-leaf clover and elderberry bushes are common in its path.

Fauna

Along the river coexists a great variety of species that inhabit its banks or pass through it in their migrations. The most common species are common trout, mallard, brook lamprey, European poodle, face goose, river lamprey, great crested grebe, barbel, tufted pole, golden carp, osprey, rutile, common toad, great cormorant, common eel, swans, grass carp, red frog, coot and collared snake.

References

1. Fire in the Schweizerhalle. The chemical disaster still burns in Swiss memory, published on November 1, 2016, taken from swissinfo.ch.
2. The River Rhine, article series published by Deutsche Welle, taken from dw.com.
3. Note on water No. 1, prepared by the European Commission (DG Environment), March 2008, taken from ec.europa.eu.
4. International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. The Rhine, a European river, The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), taken from unece.org.
5. The Biology of the Rhine Summary Report on the Rhine Measurement Program Biology 2012/2013, International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, December 2015, taken from iksr.org.