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How do the Rhine, Moselle, and Lahn rivers divide northern Rhineland-Palatinate into regions?
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Rhineland-Palatinate
St. Martin's Cathedral in Mainz, Germany.
In the northern two-thirds of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Rhine River, Moselle River, and Lahn River act as natural boundaries that divide the landscape into four distinct regions.1
The rivers define these areas as follows:
- Hunsrück: This undulating plateau is situated south of the Moselle River. The Rhine River separates the Hunsrück from the Taunus plateau to the east.1
- Taunus: Located to the east of the Rhine, this plateau is separated from the Hunsrück by the Rhine’s path.1
- Eifel: This wooded upland lies to the north and west of the Moselle and Rhine valleys.1
- Westerwald: Positioned to the northeast, this rolling plateau is bounded by the Lahn River, which flows into the Rhine from the northeast.1
Together, these deeply eroded river valleys and their surrounding plateaus form the characteristic geography of the northern portion of the state.1