Elbe << EHL buh or ehlb >> River is one of the major commercial waterways of central Europe. It rises in the western part of the Czech Republic, flows through Germany, and empties into the North Sea. The Elbe is called the Labe in the Czech Republic. It is 724 miles (1,165 kilometers) long.
The Elbe River Basin contains some of Germany’s best farmland and some important industrial centers. The river drains about 55,600 square miles (144,000 square kilometers) of land. Large oceangoing ships can travel on the Elbe from the North Sea as far as Hamburg, Germany—55 miles (89 kilometers) inland. At Hamburg, oceangoing ships transfer cargo to barges that sail the Elbe. Other important cities on the Elbe include Magdeburg and Dresden in Germany, and Usti nad Labem and Melnik in the Czech Republic. Major branches of the Elbe include the Havel and Saale rivers in Germany and the Vltava River in the Czech Republic.
