The Rhine in Germany

Preface. The Rhine. Main city’s along the Rhine. Duisburg. Dusseldorf. Cologne. Bonn. Koblenz. Bingen. Mainz. Wiesbaden. Mannheim. Karlsruhe. Strassburg. Basel. Main ports along the Rhine. Basel. Strasbourg. Karlsruhe. Duisburg. Ships on the Rhine. Cruise ships. Ferry’s. Inland vessels.

At 1320 kilometers the Rhine is the longest river in Europe. It rises in the Swiss Alps issuing from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier 3,353 m above sea level. It flows generally north, passing through or bordering on Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea at Rotterdam. Its important tributaries are the Aare, Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr rivers.
Canals link the river with the Maas, Rhône-Saône, Marne, and Danube (via the Main) valleys. The Rhine is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Rhine-Rhone canal and is joined to the Black Sea by the Rhine-Danube canals. This makes it possible for barges and passenger boats to travel from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The Rhine is the busiest waterway in the world and cargo is transported all over Europe using these two canals. Coal, coke, grain, timber, and iron ore are the principal cargoes carried on the river. Rotterdam is the chief outlet to the North Sea and is the worlds largest sea port. Duisburg, the outlet for the Ruhr industrial region, is the worlds largest river port.
The current population of the basin is approximately 50 million. The major cities are all situated on the Rhine or on its larger tributaries and the development of these cities is strongly dependent on water. Similarly, activities undertaken within these cities impact on the waters of the Rhine and its tributaries. In this sense, the Rhine basin could be regarded as a kind of "mega-city". The problems and issues that have faced the development of the Rhine basin are similar to those currently facing water resources managers in large cities. Specific issues include water supply, flooding, water quality, energy production, transport and institutional arrangements. The demands on water for a range of purposes has increased significantly with time. Population growth, industry, agriculture, hydropower generation and other users can be either cooperative or competing users. ...