Meuse River


	Caption	The Meuse (''Maas'') at Maastricht
	Origin	France
	Mouth	Hollands Diep
	Basin Countries	France , Belgium , Netherlands
	Length	925 km (575 mi)
	Elevation	409 m (1,342 ft)
	Discharge	230 m&sup3/s (8,124 ft&sup3/s)
	Watershed	36,000 km&sup2 (13,900 mi&sup2)

]]

The Meuse ( Dutch & German ''Maas'') 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 before finally flowing into the North Sea via the Nieuwe Waterweg and the Hollands Diep . The river divides near Heusden into the Afgedamde Maas on the right and the Bergse Maas on the left.

The Meuse is crossed by Railway Bridge s between the following Station s (on the left and right banks respectively):

Netherlands:

--- Blerick – Venlo

--- Cuijk – Nijmegen Heyendaal

--- Ravenstein – Wijchen

--- 's-Hertogenbosch – Zaltbommel

There 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)

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: