Meuse (river)

Meuse (river), river of Europe, traversing northeastern France, southern Belgium, and the Netherlands. It rises in the Langres Plateau, France, and flows past Verdun, Sedan, and Charleville-Mézières into Belgium. The Meuse is joined by the Sambre River at Namur, from which it courses east to Liège, forms part of the Dutch-Belgian border, and enters the Netherlands at Maastricht. The Meuse flows past Venlo and Bergen and divides into two branches. The northern branch, called the Maas River, flows northwest to join the Waal River; the southern branch empties into the North Sea. The total length of the Meuse is 925 km (575 mi); the river is one of the major waterways of Europe. The Meuse valley is an important mining and industrial region.