Waal (river)

Waal
Location of river Waal in dark blue.
Location
Country	Netherlands
State	Gelderland
Region	Betuwe, Rijk van Nijmegen, Land van Maas en Waal, Land van Altena
Cities	Nijmegen, Tiel, Zaltbommel, Gorinchem
Physical characteristics
Source	Rhine
• location	Millingen aan de Rijn, Gelderland, Netherlands
Mouth	River Boven Merwede
• location	Gorinchem, Gelderland/South Holland, Netherlands
Length	80 km (50 mi)
Discharge
• average	1,500 m3/s (53,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Linge

The Waal (Dutch name, pronounced [ʋaːl]) is the main distributary branch of the river Rhine flowing approximately 80 km (50 mi) through the Netherlands. It is the major waterway connecting the port of Rotterdam to Germany. Before it reaches Rotterdam, it joins with the Afgedamde Maas near Woudrichem to form the Boven Merwede. Along its length, Nijmegen, Tiel, Zaltbommel and Gorinchem are towns of importance with direct access to the river.

The river, which is the main channel in the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta system, carries 65% of the total flow of the Rhine.