River since ancient times were the most important objects in people's lives.They helped to survive, their gifts rewarding sustenance of mankind.Also, the river was a place of worship.Using the waterways helped (and still help) quickly and simply reach of a lot of space.Ancient was much easier to build a riverboat light than travel by land.One of the largest and most famous waterways in Western Europe is the river Rhine.
Rhine River is a tributary of the North Sea, it can be found on the territory of several European countries: Austria, France, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland.Cradle EEI - in the Alps (altitude 2412 m), formed by two rivers: the Rhine and the rear vorderrhein.Within the mountains Rhine river forms rapids, waterfalls, even (Rhine Falls), a narrow river valley, with steep slopes and turns, speed.Next, flows through Lake Constance and takes a left tributary of the Aare.Not far from the city of Koblenz replenished his water inflow Moselle.On the territory of the Central European Plain channel width of about 5oo m. Within this area receives the right tributary of the Rhine Ruhr.The complex delta formed in the Netherlands (with p. Maas and p. Scheldt).As the main waterway, the Rhine River channels connected with major highways river Danube, the Elbe, the Marne.
overcome the Lake Constance, the river breaks into the Jura mountains, after a right angle turns north - within the Upper Rhine Plain.Here, a broad river valley.In its middle reaches of the Rhine river Rhine slate overcomes array (depth to 200 meters), there is formed valley canyon type.The lower part of the flow passes through the waterway lowlands.Before the confluence of the river to the sea is divided into many branches, which are mainly protected by dikes.Translated from the ancient Celtic language Rhine is "current".
Rhine - navigable river for almost 1,000 km.Only freezes in severe winters.At other times, almost always open to the courts.But in 1968, one of the chemical plants on the Rhine was a fire, which caused the worst environmental disaster.Killed a huge number of fish, some species have disappeared from the river completely.Then it adopted a program to clean up the river.Further, it is planned to make the Rhine suitable for swimming.
In addition, there are the Rhine and other major rivers of Europe.The largest of them - the Volga.Despite the fact that the flows in the Russian Federation (the territory of Eurasia to the Ural Mountains - Europe).From the photographs the source of the river is not immediately possible to understand that here originates the greatest Russian river.But if we take the usual "foreign" Europe is the largest river is the Danube.It empties into the Black Sea, flows in eight countries.And every year, on the Danube transport about 500 million. Tons of cargo.The fourth (after the Volga, the Danube and the Urals) is the largest river Dnieper.Originates in the swamp ... Akseninsky moss on the Valdai Hills.The course slowly and quietly.Another famous river in Europe - the Elbe.It belongs to the basin of the North Sea.Elba takes its origin in the Czech Republic, takes place mainly in Germany.
