Meuse springs on the Langer plateau in the French village of Le Châtelet–sur–Meuse at an altitude of 409 m. It is a western European river that flows into the North Sea. The length of the river is 950 km and the river basin covers an area of approximately 36,000 km². But the largest part of the river is in Belgium, which is 14,000 km². River’s navigable length is 226 km. The average water flow is 300 to 400 m³/s and the maximum is 3000 m³/s.
It’s rise on the Langres Plateau (Plateau de Langres) in the French commune of Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse (Champagne-Ardenne region, Haute-Marne department) at an altitude of 409 m. It continues approximately northwards through Lorraine. It flows through the departments of Vosges and Meuse, which was named after it. In the village of Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, the river disappears underground and rises again in Neufchâteau. It then flows through the Ardennes mountains (Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardennes region. It’s including the town of Sedan) and enters Belgium at Givet. In Belgium, it flows through the Walloon provinces of Namur and Liege.
After its confluence with the River Sambre at Namur, it turns eastwards and continues northwards again from Liege. It then forms the border between the Flemish province of Limburg and the province of the same name in the Netherlands, with the Dutch-Belgian border only in Maastricht to the west of the river. In the Netherlands, it continues northwards through the town of Venlo along the border with Germany before turning westwards. Together with the Rhine, it forms a large delta. It is therefore sometimes referred to as a tributary of the Rhine as it joins the left arm of the delta. It flows into the North Sea. On the lower reaches, the level of the river is above that of the surrounding countryside and protective dykes have been built around the river.
