Major Inland Waterways in the World

Major Inland Waterways in the World Inland wi'lter­ways are best developed in two continents, Europe and North America.

Europe A number of countries in Europe, such as France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Russia, have very extensive inland waterways, including both rivers and canals. Though France has a great length of waterways, the traffic in the country is not as great as in Germany or the Netherlands as many of the older French canals are not capable of taking small barges with a low carrying capacity.
The Rhine waterway is the most important waterway in Europe. The River Rhine flows through SwitzerlaRG, Germany and the Netherlands and forms the eastern border of France. Waterways of the Germanic-Baltic low­lands, comprising the Mittelland canal. Kiel Canal and Dortmund-Ems Canal, are important European waterways.

North America In North America, the most important waterway is the Great Lakes-St. ILawrence Waterway, shared by Canada and US. It stretches for over 3,760 km from Duluth on Lake Superior to the estuary of the St. Lawrence below Quebec. This waterway is linked to other important cities by smaller canals. The amount of traffic it handles is greater than any other commercial waterway. This is so despite the fact that the waterway is iCE'-bound for three-to-four months in a year. In the USA, the most important inland waterway is formed by the River Mississipi and its many tributaries.