The Elbe River, with its length of 1 094 km from the springs in the Krkonose Mountains to the North Sea mouth at Cuxhaven and with its catchment area of 148 268 km2, is the fourth biggest river in Europe; after the Donau (817 000 km2), the Visla (194 112 km2), and the Rhine (183 800 km2). The Elbe River basin spans four countries: its largest parts lie in Germany (65.5 %) and in the Czech Republic (33.7 %), tiny parts lie in Austria (0.6 %) and in Poland (0.2 %).