Main Triangle
| Main | |
|---|---|
The Main River in Würzburg
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Position of the Main in Germany
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| Country | Germany |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source |
Upper Franconia 50°5′11″N 11°23′54″E / 50.08639°N 11.39833°E |
| River mouth |
Rhine 49°59′40″N 8°17′36″E / 49.99444°N 8.29333°ECoordinates: 49°59′40″N 8°17′36″E / 49.99444°N 8.29333°E |
| Length | 527 km (327 mi) |
| Discharge |
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| Basin features | |
| Progression | Rhine→ North Sea |
| Basin size | 27,292 km2 (10,538 sq mi) |
The Main (German pronunciation: [ˈmaɪn] (
listen) is a river in Germany. With a length of 527 kilometres (327 mi), it is the longest right tributary of the Rhine. It is also the longest river lying entirely in Germany (if the Weser and the Werra are considered as two separate rivers; together they are longer). The largest cities along the Main are Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg.
The mainspring of the Main River flows through the German states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg (forming the border with Bavaria for some distance) and Hesse. Its basin competes with the Danube for water; as a result, many of its boundaries are identical with those of the European Watershed.
The Main begins near Kulmbach in Franconia at the joining of its two headstreams, the Red Main (Roter Main) and the White Main (Weißer Main). The Red Main originates in the Franconian Jura mountain range, 50 km (31 mi) in length, and runs through Creussen and Bayreuth. The White Main originates in the mountains of the Fichtelgebirge; it is 41 km (25 mi) long. In its upper and middle section, the Main runs through the valleys of the German Highlands. Its lower section crosses the Lower Main Lowlands (Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin and northern Upper Rhine Plain) to Wiesbaden, where it discharges into the Rhine. Major tributaries of the Main are the Regnitz, the Franconian Saale, the Tauber, and the Nidda.
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