Meuse River
The
Meuse (
Dutch &
German Maas)(
Spanish Mosa) is a major
European river, rising in
France and flowing through
Belgium and the
Netherlands before draining into the
North Sea. It has a total length of 925 km (575 miles).
The Meuse rises on the
Langres Plateau in
France from where it flows northwards past
Sedan (the head of navigation) and
Charleville-Mézières into
Belgium. At
Namur it is joined by the River
Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the
Ardennes, and passes
Liège before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at
Maastricht the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards past
Venlo, then turns towards the west, merging with the
Rhine into an extensive
delta. The river divides near
Heusden into the
Afgedamde Maas on the right and the
Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues via the
Amer, and merges with the
Nieuwe Merwede to the
Hollands Diep, before finally flowing into the North Sea via the
Haringvliet.
The Meuse is crossed by
railway bridges between the following
stations (on the left and right banks respectively):
*Netherlands:
**
Blerick –
Venlo**
Cuijk –
Nijmegen Heyendaal
**
Ravenstein –
Wijchen**
's-Hertogenbosch –
ZaltbommelThere are also numerous road bridges and around 32 ferry crossings.
The Meuse is navigable over a substantial part of its total length: In Holland and Belgium, the river is part of the major inland navigation infrastructure, connecting the Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Antwerp port areas to the industrial areas upstream: 's Hertogenbosch, Venlo, Maastricht, Liège, Namur. South of Namur, further upstream, the river can only carry more modest vessels, although a barge as long as 100 m. can still reach the French border town of Givet.
From Givet, the river is canalized over a distance of 272 kilometers. The canalized Meuse used to be called the "Canal de l'Est - Branche Nord" but was recently rebaptized into "Canal de la Meuse". The waterway can be used by the smallest barges that are still in use commercially (almost 40 meters long and just over 5 meters wide). Just upstream of the town of Commercy, the Canal de la Meuse connects with the Canal de la Marne au Rhin by means of a short diversion canal. (Source: NoorderSoft Waterways database)
The Cretaceous sea reptile
Mosasaur is named after the river Meuse. The first fossils of it were discovered outside Maastricht 1780.
|
A view of the Meuse in the French Ardennes |
Tributaries
The main tributaries of the river Meuse are listed below in downstream-upstream order, with the town where the tributary meets the river:
**
Dieze (near
's-Hertogenbosch)
***
Aa (in
's-Hertogenbosch)
***
Dommel (in
's-Hertogenbosch)
****
Gender (in
Eindhoven)
**
Niers (in
Gennep)
**
Swalm (in
Swalmen)
** (in
Roermond)
***
Wurm (in
Heinsberg, Germany)
***
Merzbach (in
Linnich, Germany)
***
Inde (in
Jülich, Germany)
**
Geleenbeek (near
Maasbracht)
**
Geul (near
Meerssen)
**
Geer/Jeker (in
Maastricht)
**
Voer/Fouron (in
Eijsden)
**
Berwinne/Berwijn (near
Moelingen, part of
Voeren)
**
Ourthe (in
Liège)
***
Weser/Vesdre (near
Liège)
***
Amel/Amblève (in
Comblain-au-Pont)
****
Salm (in
Trois-Ponts)
****
Warche (near
Malmedy)
**
Hoyoux (in
Huy)
**
Sambre (in
Namur)
**
Bocq (in
Yvoir)
**
Molignée (in
Anhée)
**
Lesse (in
Anseremme, part of
Dinant)
**
Viroin (in
Vireux-Molhain)
**
Semois or Semoy (in
Monthermé)
**
Bar (near
Dom-le-Mesnil)
**
Chiers (in
Bazeilles)
The
Meuse département, in northeastern
France is named after the river.
*
Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See
Meuse River. Peace Palace Libray
