Rhine

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European river rising in Switzerland and reaching the North Sea via Germany and the Netherlands; length 1,320 km/820 mi. It drains an area of some 220,000 sq km/85,000 sq mi and is navigable for 805 km/500 mi. Tributaries include the Moselle and the Ruhr. The Rhine is linked with the Mediterranean by the Rhine–Rhône Waterway, and with the Black Sea by the Rhine–Main–Danube Waterway.

The river was severely polluted by a chemical factory fire in 1986, as a result of which 30 tonnes of pesticides entered the river, rendering it lifeless for 100–200 km/60–120 mi. The governments of the five countries through which the Rhine flows announced a major clean-up campaign in 1987, which greatly improved the pollution problem. Severe flooding took place in the Netherlands and Germany in December 1993 and January 1995.

The Lorelei is a rock in the Rhine-Palatinate, with a remarkable echo; the German poet Clemens Brentano gave currency to the legend of a siren who lured sailors to their death with her song, also the subject of a poem by Heinrich Heine.

Modelled on the French tricolour, the vertical stripes represent liberty and revolution. The almost square proportions of the flag are unusual. Effective date: 23 January 1831. >>