The river Maas, with a length of 925 kilometers, is one of the most important rivers in Europe. The Meuse has its source in France and flows through Belgium and the Netherlands and then into the North Seato flow out. The Meuse is fed with rainwater and, due to the absence of high mountains with glaciers nearby, it is not affected by meltwater from the mountains. The river has its source in a hilly area northwest of the Vosges in France, the Plateau (the plain) of Langres. This plain is about 400 meters high, 100 meters higher than the highest point in the Netherlands. Like a brook only a few meters wide, it flows from here to the north, towards Belgium. Because in France only small streams flow into the Meuse and the soil is very porous, the Meuse grows a little, but not very fast. In France, the river meanders through meadows, vineyards and forests. Important tributaries, such as the Ourthe and the Amblève, join the Meuse in the Ardennes. Near Liège, the Maas ends up in somewhat flatter terrain and because the soil there is very hard, no water disappears into the soil. The Maas enters the Netherlands at Eijsden in South Limburg and forms the natural border between the Netherlands and Belgium up to Stevensweert. In Den Bosch the water of the Dommel and Dieze still joins the Maas and at the Biesbosch the water of the Maas mixes with the water of theRhine . The Maas eventually flows into the seavia theport of Rotterdam and the Haringvliet .