Moselle (redirected from Mosel)

Moselle, department, France

Moselle (mōzĕl`), department (1990 pop. 1,011,400), NE France, bordering on Luxembourg and Germany. Metz is the capital.

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Moselle, river, France, Luxembourg, and Germany

Moselle, Ger. Mosel, river, 320 mi (515 km) long, rising in the Vosges Mts., NE France, and winding generally N past Épinal and Metz. Leaving France, it forms part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, then enters Germany, passes Trier, and cuts between the Eifel and the Hunsrück ranges to reach the Rhine River at Koblenz. The Moselle receives the Saar River near Trier. The German section of the Moselle valley is dotted with numerous old castles and is covered with celebrated vineyards. The Moselle Canal, built in 1964, made the river navigable for 1500 ton barges between Metz and Koblenz. The canal is overseen by representatives of France, Luxembourg, and Germany, and is a symbol of peace among them.

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Moselle

1. a department of NE France, in Lorraine region. Capital: Metz. Pop.: 1 027 854 (2003 est.). Area: 6253 sq. km (2439 sq. miles)

2. a river in W Europe, rising in NE France and flowing northwest, forming part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, then northeast to the Rhine: many vineyards along its lower course. Length: 547 km (340 miles)

3. a German white wine from the Moselle valley

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Moselle 

a department in northeastern France on the Lorraine Plateau; the department borders Luxembourg and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Area, 6,200 sq km. Population, 1 million (1973). The capital is Metz.

Moselle’s economy is predominantly industrial: 30 percent of the working population is employed in industry, whereas only 6 percent is involved in agriculture. Moselle is part of the industrial region of Lorraine; it has a developed mining industry (coal, rock salt, iron ore), metallurgy, the coke and coke-oven by-products and the chemical industries, and power engineering. Heavy machinery construction and oil-refining are other important industries. Agriculture (29 percent of the territory is cultivated, 31 percent is in pasture) tends primarily toward livestock raising. The department has important economic ties with the Saar Territory (FRG).

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Moselle 

(German, Mosel), a river in France, Luxembourg, and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG); a left tributary of the Rhine. The river is 545 km long and drains an area of 28,200 sq km.

The Moselle originates on the southwestern slopes of the Vosges; it flows primarily through a deep, narrow valley. Its largest tributary is the Saar River. There are floods from November through March, with low water in summer. The mean flow rate in the river’s lower course at Cochem is 290 cu m per sec. The Moselle is navigable to its upper course. It is crossed by the Marne-Rhine Canal and is connected with the Saône River by the Canal de l’Est. There are hydroelectric power plants on the Moselle. The cities of Nancy, Metz (France), and Trier (FRG) are located on the river. The city of Coblenz (FRG) is at the river’s mouth. The Moselle valley is a well-known vine-growing and wine-making region.