Meuse River

Meuse River

 Dutch Maas

River, western Europe. It rises in northeastern France and flows north into Belgium, where it forms part of the border between Belgium and The Netherlands. It divides at Venlo, Neth., one branch flowing into the Hollandsch Canal (an outlet of the North Sea) and another joining the Waal River to become the Merwede River, which eventually empties into the North Sea. The Meuse is 590 mi (950 km) long, and it is an important waterway in western Europe. Its valley was the scene of heavy fighting in World War I. The crossing of the Meuse was critical to Germany's invasion of France in 1940 in World War II.