rhin

Rhin is the French name for the Rhine, a major European river. The Rhine rises in the Swiss Alps at Tomasee in the canton of Graubünden and runs northward through Switzerland, forming part of the border with Liechtenstein, before entering Germany. It flows through German states including Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia, and finally enters the North Sea in the Netherlands as part of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta. The river's basin covers about 185,000 square kilometers and serves as a vital waterway for freight, a source of hydroelectric power, and a focal point for centuries of trade and culture. Major cities along its course include Basel (Switzerland), Strasbourg (France), Mainz, Cologne, and Düsseldorf, as well as Rotterdam at its delta.

Linguistically, Rhin is used in French to name the river; in other languages the river has different names: Rhein in German, Rijn in Dutch. The term Rhin can also appear as a surname and as part of place names in Romance- and German-speaking regions. In encyclopedic usage, Rhin may be treated as a cross-border entry linked to the Rhine.