a river in the Federal Republic of Germany; its source is in the German Democratic Republic, and it flows into the North Sea. The Weser is formed near the city of Münden by the confluence of the Werra and Fulda rivers. Its length from Münden is 432 km and, from the source of the Werra, 724 km. The area of its basin is 46,000 sq km; it is 94 m wide near Münden and 220 m wide near Bremen. Below Bremen the river begins widening considerably, extending to a width of more than 11 km at the point at which it enters the sea. Fed by snow and rain, the river floods in the spring; the mean annual discharge of water at the river’s lower reaches is approximately 300 eu m per sec. All except the largest oceangoing vessels navigate the Weser to Bremen, which is 69 km from the sea; from Bremen to the confluence of the Werra and Fulda rivers, riverboats with displacements of up to 350 tons are used. The Weser is connected to the Elbe and Ems rivers by the Mittelland Canal. Cities along the Weser include Bremerhaven, Nordenham, Bremen, Minden, and Hameln.