List of rivers of Switzerland
The following is a list of rivers of Switzerland (and tributaries thereof). Included rivers flow either entirely or partly through Switzerland or along its international borders. Swiss rivers belong to five drainage basins, i.e. of the Rhine, the Rhône, the Po, the Danube or the Adige. Of these, only the Rhine and Rhône flow through Switzerland (and also originate there). The waters therefore drain into either the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea or the Black Sea.
Below, rivers are grouped by length, drainage area, orography and in alphabetical order. A list of border rivers is also given.
Rivers by length[edit]
(> 100 km, counting only the length in Switzerland)
Rank | River | Length |
---|---|---|
1 | Rhine | 375 km |
2 | Aare (or Aar) | 295 km |
3 | Rhône | 264 km |
4 | Reuss | 158 km |
4 | Linth and Limmat together[i] | 140 km |
5 | Thur | 135 km |
6 | Saane/La Sarine[ii] | 128 km |
Rivers by drainage area[edit]
(> 1000 km2, counting only the area in Switzerland)
Rank | River | Length | Drainage area |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rhine | 375 km | 36,494 km2 |
2 | Aare (or Aar) | 295 km | 17,779 km2 |
3 | Rhône | 264 km | 10,403 km2 |
4 | Reuss | 158 km | 3,425 km2 |
5 | Orbe and Thielle together | 118 km | 2,672 km2 |
6 | Linth and Limmat together | 140 km | 2,416 km2 |
7 | Inn | 104 km | 2,150 km2 |
8 | Saane/La Sarine | 128 km | 1,892 km2 |
9 | Thur | 135 km | 1,696 km2 |
10 | Hinterrhein (Posterior Rhine) | 57.3 km | 1,693 km2 |
11 | Ticino | 91 km | 1,616 km2 |
12 | Vorderrhein (Anterior Rhine) | 67.5 km | 1,514 km2 |
13 | Doubs | 74 km | 1,310 km2 |
14 | Kander | 44 km | 1,126 km2 |
Rivers by orography[edit]
Switzerland is drained into four directions:
- North Sea, via the Rhine.
- Mediterranean Sea:
- Gulf of Lion, via the Rhône.
- Adriatic Sea, via the Po and the Adige.
- Black Sea, via the Danube.
Drainage basins[edit]
Witenwasserenstock mountain is the triple divide of the drainage basins between the Rhine, Rhône and Po. Lunghin Pass is the triple divide between the Rhine, Danube and Po.
Rivers that flow into other rivers are sorted by the proximity of their points of confluence to the sea (the lower in the list, the more upstream). Some rivers (e.g. Danube) do not flow through Switzerland themselves, but they are mentioned for having Swiss tributaries. They are given in italics. The five drainage basins are highlighted in bold.
- Rhine (main branch in Hook of Holland, Netherlands)
- Upper Rhine (begins at the Rhine knee in Basel)
- High Rhine - 375 km - 36,494 km2
- Birs - 73 km - 924 km2 (between Basel/Birsfelden)
- Ergolz - 30 km - 301 km2 (between Augst/Kaiseraugst)
- Möhlinbach - 15 km - 37,3 km2 (near Möhlin)
- Sissle - 18.3 km - 128 km2 (in Sisseln)
- Aare (Aar) - 295 km - 17,779 km2 (in Koblenz)
- Surb - 18 km - 66.8 km2 (in Döttingen)
- Limmat / Linth[iii] - 140 km - 2,416 km2 (in Brugg)
- Reppisch - 27 km - 69.1 km2 (in Dietikon)
- Wüeribach - 7.8 km - 14.6 km2 (in Birmensdorf)
- Sihl - 73 km - 341 km2 (in Zürich)
- Küsnachter Dorfbach - 8 km - 12 km2 (into Lower Lake Zürich in Küsnacht)
- Jona - 18.8 km - 78.4 km2 (into Obersee near Jona)
- Wägitaler Aa - 14.3 km - 90.15 km2 (into Obersee near Lachen)
- Seerenbach - km - km2 (into Lake Walen near Amden)
- Seez - 33 km - 203.73 km2 (into Lake Walen near Walenstadt)
- Sernf - 18.9 km - 210.14 km2 (in Schwanden)
- Reppisch - 27 km - 69.1 km2 (in Dietikon)
- Reuss - 158 km - 3,425 km2 (in Brugg)
- Lorze - 27 km - 298.88 km2 (near Maschwanden)
- Kleine Emme - 58 km - 477 km2 (near Luzern)
- Sarner Aa - 10.4 km - 336.21 km2 (into Lake Lucerne near Alpnach)
- Engelberger Aa - 38 km - 229.07 km2 (into Lake Lucerne at Buochs)
- Muota - 33 km - 316.99 km2 (into Lake Lucerne at Brunnen)
- Schächen - 18.8 km - 108 km2 (near Attinghausen)
- Hallwiler Aa - 39 km - 302.7km2 (in Möriken-Wildegg)
- Suhre/Sure[iv] - 34 km - 368.29 km2 (near Aarau)
- Wigger - 41 km - 380.29 km2 (between Rothrist/Aarburg)
- Emme - 80 km - 983 km2 (in Solothurn)
- Urtene - 19.3 km - 97 km2 (near Bätterkinden)
- Ilfis - 21.5 km - 188 km2 (near Langnau im Emmental)
- Suze - 43 km - 216.27 km2 (into Lake Biel in Biel/Bienne)
- Orbe / Thielle[v] - 57 km - 488 km2 (into Lake Biel in La Neuveville)
- Broye - 86 km - 850 km2 (into Lake Neuchâtel in La Sauge)
- Saane/La Sarine - 128 km - 1,892 km2 (near Bern)
- Sense - 36 km - 434 km2 (near Laupen)
- Glâne - 36.9 km - 193 km2 (near Villars-sur-Glâne)
- Kander - 44 km - 1,126 km2 (into Lake Thun near Thun)
- Lütschine - km - (into Lake Brienz near Interlaken)
- Wutach[vi] - 91.1 km - 1,139.3 km2 (in Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany)
- Klingengraben - 23.4 km - 165.51 km2 (in Oberlauchringen, Germany)
- Schwarzbach - 17.5 km - 64.056 km2 (near Lauchringen, Germany)
- Klingengraben - 23.4 km - 165.51 km2 (in Oberlauchringen, Germany)
- Glatt - 67 km - 416 km2 (near Glattfelden)
- Ustermer Aa - 10.9 km - 62.75 km2 (into Greifensee at Niederuster)
- Töss - 58 km - 442 km2 (in Teufen)
- Thur - 125 km - 1724 km2 (near Flaach)
- Murg - 34 km - 213.45 km2 (near Warth-Weiningen)
- Sitter - 48.91 km - 340 km2 (in Bischofszell)
- Urnäsch - 23.5 km - 93.6 km2 (in near St Gallen Haggen)
- Durach - 15.2 km - 62.9 km2 (in Schaffhausen)
- Biber - 30.7 km - 168 km2 (near Hemishofen)
- Lake Constance (Obersee, Seerhein, Untersee)
- Alpine Rhine (Alter Rhein, Rheintaler Binnenkanal) - 93.5 km - 6119 km2
- Saar - 10.7 km - 24.2 km2 (in Trübbach)
- Tamina - 30 km - 155.48 km2 (in Bad Ragaz)
- Landquart - 43 km - 618 km2 (in Landquart)
- Plessur - 33 km - 267 km2 (in Chur)
- Rabiosa - 7.9 km - 52.6 km2 (near Meiersboden)
- Hinterrhein - 57.3 km - 1,693 km2 (at Reichenau)
- Albula - 36 km - 950 km2 (near Thusis)
- Gelgia - km - km2 (in Tiefencastel)
- Landwasser - 30.5 km 293.11 km - 950 km2 (near Filisur)
- Dischmabach - 16 km 53.7 km2 (near Davos)
- Avers Rhine - 20 km - 261 km2 (near Andeer)
- Albula - 36 km - 950 km2 (near Thusis)
- Vorderrhein - 67.5 km - 1,514 km2 (at Reichenau)
- Rabiusa - 32 km
- Valser Rhine - 30 km - 186 km2
- Rein da Curnera - 7 km - 27 km2
- Rein da Maighels - 5.4 km - 9.07 km2
- Rein da Medel - 25 km - 128 km2
- Rein da Tuma - 3.5 km - 5.6 km2
- (see sources of the Rhine)
- Rhône - 264 km - 10,403 km2 (in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France)
- Saône - km - km2 (in Lyon, France)
- Doubs - 74 km - 1,310 km2 (in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, France)
- Allaine - 28 km - 197 km2 (near Montbéliard, France)
- Doubs - 74 km - 1,310 km2 (in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, France)
- Allondon - 17.9 km - 148 km2 (in Russin)
- Arve - 108 km - 1,976 km2 (in Geneva)
- Versoix - 21.8 km - 90.7 km2 (into Lake Geneva in Versoix)
- Hermance - 14 km - 42.5 km2 (into Lake Geneva in Hermance)
- Aubonne - 12.2 km - 96.3 km2 (into Lake Geneva near Aubonne)
- Venoge - 38 km - 238 km2 (into Lake Geneva in Saint-Sulpice)
- Trient - 17 km - 164.2 km2 (near Vernayaz)
- Drance - 43 km - 678 km2 (in Martigny)
- Sionne - 11 km - 27.64 km2 (in Sion)
- Navizence - 27.9 km - 255.54 km2 (in Chippis)
- Lonza - km - km2 (in Gampel)
- Vispa - 40 km - 787 km2 (in Visp)
- Massa - 7 km - 202.63 km2 (near Bitsch)
- Saône - km - km2 (in Lyon, France)
- Po (near Venice, Italy)
- Adda - km - km2 (in Cremona, Italy)
- Ticino - 91 km - 1,616 km2 (in Pavia, Italy)
- Toce - km - km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Verbania, Italy)
- Diveria - km - m2 (near Domodossola, Italy)
- Tresa - 13 km - 754 km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Luino, Italy)
- Giona - 15.1 km - 47.52 km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Maccagno, Italy)
- Maggia - 55 km - 926 km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Locarno)
- Melezzo Orientale - 42 km - 328.04 km2 (near Ponte Brolla)
- Verzasca - 34 km - 235.4 km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Tenero-Contra)
- Moesa - 46 km - 474,87 km2 (in Arbedo-Castione)
- Brenno - 36 km - 407.47 km2 (between Pollegio/Biasca)
- Toce - km - km2 (into Lake Maggiore in Verbania, Italy)
- Adige (near Venice, Italy)
- Danube (in Sulina, Romania)
Border rivers[edit]
International[edit]
- Allondon, forming a short stretch of the border with France (ca. 2.5 km (1.6 mi))
- Alpine Rhine (and Alter Rhein), forming most of the border with Liechtenstein and part of the border with Austria
- Hermance, forming part of the border with France
- High Rhine (and Lake Constance), forming mostly the border with Germany
- La Morge, forming part of the border with France
- Le Doubs, forming part of the border with France (for about 40 km (25 mi))
- Rhône, forms part of the border with France west of Geneva
- Tresa, follows part of the border with Italy
- Wutach, forming about 6 km (3.7 mi) of the border with Germany
Between cantons[edit]
- Aare, part of the boundary between the canton of Solothurn with the cantons of Aargau and Bern
- Alpine Rhine canal, part of the border between the cantons of St. Gallen and Grisons (Graubünden)
- Biber, part of the boundary between the cantons of Zug and Schwyz
- Birs, short sections of the boundary between the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn
- Engelberger Aa, parts of the boundary between the cantons of Nidwalden and Obwalden
- High Rhine, most of the boundary between the canton of Schaffhausen with the cantons of Zürich and Thurgau
- Jona, short section of the boundary between the cantons of St. Gallen and Zürich
- Linth canal, part of the border between the canton of St. Gallen with the cantons of Glarus and Schwyz
- Reuss, boundary between the cantons of Aargau and Zug, part of the boundary between the cantons of Aargau and Zürich
- Sitter, part of the boundary between the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden
- Thielle canal (Zihlkanal), border between the cantons of Bern and Neuchâtel
- Thur, short section of the border between the cantons of Thurgau and Zürich
Alphabetical list[edit]
A–E[edit]
F–K[edit]
L–O[edit]
P–S[edit]
T–Z[edit]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The Linth is the main tributary of Lake Zurich and the Limmat the lake's outflow.
- ^ The river is called Sarine in French and Saane in German.
- ^ Prior to the regulation of the Linth (1807–1823), the river did not flow into Lake Walen but joined the River Maag, the outflow of Lake Walen, west of the lake.
- ^ The river is called Sure in the Luzern and Suhre in Aargau.
- ^ The Thielle begins at the confluence of the rivers Orbe and Talent.
- ^ The Wutach flows mostly through Germany, but for about 6 km (3.7 mi) it forms the Germany–Switzerland border.