Niederelbe

Niederelbe
The Lower Elbe at Rissen, Hamburg
Country	Germany
States	Hamburg–Cuxhaven
Basin features
River system	Elbe
Physical characteristics
Length	108 km (67 mi)
Width	Minimum width: 2 km (1.2 mi) Maximum width: 18 km (11 mi)
Depth	Maximum depth: 30 m (98 ft)

The Niederelbe (i.e. Lower Elbe or Nether Elbe) is a 108 kilometers (67 miles) long wing of the river Elbe, from western Hamburg downstream to its mouth into the North Sea near Cuxhaven. Starting at Mühlenberger Loch (or Elbe kilometer 634) near Finkenwerder, Hamburg, it little by little widens from 2 km (1.2 mi) to 18 km (11 mi). Once overgoing the Hamburg state border, the Niederelbe also forms the landmark between the states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Niederelbe makes up a stretch of the Elbe named the Unterelbe (i. e. Lower ("Under") Elbe), holding all stretches of the Elbe swayed by the North Sea's tides, starting further inland at the lockgate in Geesthacht (or Elbe kilometer 586).