Editing Rhine (section)

=== Middle Rhine ===
{{Main|Middle Rhine}}
[[File:RheinBeiRüdesheim2008Video.ogv|thumb|Rhine by ship from [[Assmannshausen]] to [[Rüdesheim am Rhein|Rüdesheim]], a 2008 video]] 
The Rhine is the longest river in Germany. It is here that the Rhine encounters some more of its main tributaries, such as the [[Neckar]], the [[Main (river)|Main]] and, later, the [[Moselle (river)|Moselle]], which contributes an average discharge of more than {{convert|300|m3/s|abbr=on}}. Northeastern France drains to the Rhine via the Moselle; smaller rivers drain the [[Vosges Mountains|Vosges]] and [[Jura Mountains]] uplands. Most of [[Luxembourg]] and a very small part of [[Belgium]] also drain to the Rhine via the Moselle. As it approaches the Dutch border, the Rhine has an annual mean discharge of {{convert|2290|m3/s|abbr=on}} and an average width of {{convert|400|m|abbr=on}}.

Between [[Bingen am Rhein]] and [[Bonn]], the [[Middle Rhine]] flows through the [[Rhine Gorge]], a formation which was created by [[erosion]]. The rate of erosion equaled the [[tectonic uplift|uplift]] in the region, such that the river was left at about its original level while the surrounding lands raised. The gorge is quite deep and is the stretch of the river which is known for its many castles and vineyards. It is a [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|UNESCO World Heritage Site (2002)]] and known as "the Romantic Rhine", with more than 40&nbsp;castles and fortresses from the [[Middle Ages]] and many quaint and lovely country villages.
{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=150
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|File:FR-67-Strasbourg35.JPG|Between [[Strasbourg]] and [[Kehl]]
|File:Rhein stromabwärts bei Erbach im Rheingau mit Insel Mariannenau Hessen Landesgrenze Rheinland-Pfalz links - Foto Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Photo IMG 0274.jpg|Aerial photo between [[Eltville]] and [[Bingen am Rhein|Bingen]]
|File:Marksburg1900.jpg|[[Marksburg]] near [[Koblenz]], built in 1231
|File:Beschädigte Brücke.jpg|[[Ludendorff Bridge]] at [[Remagen]], showing damage before collapse during the [[Battle of Remagen]]
|File:Cologne (Köln) Rhine River view b.jpg|The Rhine in [[Cologne]]
|File:Vue aérienne du Rhin à Dusseldorf.jpg|Rhine at [[Düsseldorf]]
|File:The Rhine Hünxe Germany .jpeg|Rhine at [[Hünxe]], near the border of the [[Netherlands]]
}}
The Mainz Basin ends in [[Bingen am Rhein]]; the Rhine continues as "Middle Rhine" into the [[Rhine Gorge]] in the [[Rhenish Slate Mountains]]. In this sections the river falls from 77.4&nbsp;m above sea level to 50.4&nbsp;m. On the left, is located the mountain ranges of [[Hunsrück]] and [[Eifel]], on the right [[Taunus]] and [[Westerwald]]. According to geologists, the characteristic narrow valley form was created by [[erosion]] by the river while the surrounding landscape was lifted (see [[water gap]]).

Major tributaries in this section are the [[Lahn]] and the [[Moselle]]. They join the Rhine near [[Koblenz]], for the right and left respectively. Almost the entire length of the Middle Rhine runs in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The dominant economic sectors in the Middle Rhine area are [[viniculture]] and tourism. The [[Rhine Gorge]] between [[Rüdesheim am Rhein]] and [[Koblenz]] is listed as a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]. Near [[Sankt Goarshausen]], the Rhine flows around the famous rock [[Lorelei]]. With its outstanding architectural monuments, the slopes full of vines, settlements crowded on the narrow river banks and scores of castles lined up along the top of the steep slopes, the Middle Rhine Valley can be considered the epitome of the Rhine romanticism.