Rivers and lakes

The Alps provide lowland Europe with drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.[54] Although the area is only about 11% of the surface area of

Europe, the Alps provide up to 90% of water to lowland Europe, particularly to arid areas and during the summer months. Cities such as Milan depend on

80% of water from Alpine runoff.[13][55][56] Water from the rivers is used in over 500 hydroelectricity power plants, generating as much as 2900 GWh[clarification needed] of electricity.[4]

Major European rivers flow from the Alps, such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Inn, and the Po, all of which have headwaters in the Alps and

flow into neighbouring countries, finally emptying into the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. Other rivers such as the Danube have major tributaries flowing into them that originate in the Alps.[13] The Rhône is second to the

Nile as a freshwater source to the Mediterranean Sea; the river begins as glacial meltwater, flows into Lake Geneva, and from there to France where one of its uses is to cool nuclear power plants.[57] The Rhine originates in a 30 km2