Switzerland has a host of significant rivers that plays an important part in the development of the commercial sector of the country. Some of the major rivers in Switzerland are:
1) Rhine-This River passes through the town of Chur, Schaffhausen, and Basel. It is 375 kms in length. Rhine has its source in Oberalp and San Bernardino. This river leaves in Basel. The catchments area of Rhine is 27963 square kilometers and it is the maximum.
2) Aare-This River covers a length of 295 kilometers with a catchments area of 17779 square kilometers. Aar passes through the towns of Thun, Bern, and Solothurn etc. The river originates in Grimsel. It ends in Rhein near Koblenz.
3) Rhone-Next in terms of length is Rhone. It covers a stretch of 264 kilometers. Geneva, Laussane, Sion are some of the major cities through which Rhone passes. This river also has its origin in Grimsel. This river leaves in Geneva. It has a catchments area of 6947 square kilometers
4) Reuss-This is also a major river of Switzerland and cover the cities of Lucerne and Emmen. It is 158 kilometers in length.
5) Limmat-Next is Limmat. This river has a stretch of 140 kilometers and covers the city of Zurich.
6) Thur-This River is 125 kilometers in length. It originates in Toggenburg, and ends in Rhein to the vicinity of Ellikon. This river has a catchments area of 1724 square kilometers.
7) Inn-Inn is 104 kilometers in length and has a catchments area of 1792 square kilometers. The river has its origin in Maloja and leaves in Vinadi.
8) Ticino- Ticino has a stretch of 91 kilometers and has a catchments area of 1616 square kilometers. It originates in Nufinen and drains into Lago maggiore.
Apart from this, the other important river is Saane, .So from the above-mentioned points it is clear that Rhine is the longest river of Switzerland.
The drainage system of Switzerland is in four directions.
1) North Sea through Rhine
2) Rhone drains it into Mediterranean Sea.
3) The Po River and Adige drains Switzerland to Adriatic Sea.
5) Danube drains to Black Sea.
The Rhine river has the maximum drainage capacity .It is followed by Aar, Rhone, Reuss, Linth, Inn, Saane, Thur, Ticino etc.
Therefore, all these rivers play a very significant role in maintaining the ecological, social and commercial balance of the country.
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