Weser

Weser
Werser (Low German)
The Weser near Bad Oeynhausen
Watershed of the Weser
Weser is located in Germany
Weser
European context: mouth within Germany.
Etymology*waisōn, Proto-Germanic, meaning "flow" or "ooze"
Location
CountryGermany
States
Cities
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of the Fulda and Werra Rivers in Hann. Münden
 • coordinates51°25′17″N 9°38′53″E / 51.42139°N 9.64806°E / 51.42139; 9.64806
 • elevation116 m (381 ft)
MouthWadden Sea of the North Sea
 • location
Between Bremerhaven and Nordenham
 • coordinates
53°32′8″N 8°33′56″E / 53.53556°N 8.56556°E / 53.53556; 8.56556
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length452 km (281 mi) [744 km (462 mi) if combined with the Werra]
Basin size46,306 km2 (17,879 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average327 m3/s (11,500 cu ft/s)
Basin features
River systemWeser basin
Tributaries 
 • leftDiemel, Emmer, Werre, Große Aue, Hunte
 • rightAller, Lesum

The Weser (pronounced [ˈveːzɐ] ) is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is 50 km (31 mi) further north against the ports of Bremerhaven and Nordenham. The latter is on the Butjadingen Peninsula. It then merges into the North Sea via two highly saline, estuarine mouths.

It connects to the canal network running east–west across the North German Plain.

The river, when combined with the Werra (a dialectal form of Weser),[citation needed] is 744 km (462 mi) long and thus, the longest river entirely situated within Germany (the Main, however, is the longest if the Weser and Werra are not combined). The Weser itself is 452 km (281 mi) long. The Werra rises in Thuringia, the German state south of the main projection (tongue) of Lower Saxony.