a river of Germany, formed by the confluence of the Fulda and Werra, near Münden, on the borders of Hanover and Hesse Cassel. It flows in a very irregular course, generally towards the north, through small portions of Brunswick, Hesse Cassel, and Westphalia; then traverses Hanover and the territory of Bremen; and finally separates Hanover from Oldenburg. It falls into the German Ocean along with the Jahde, by a wide estuary, after a course of 250 miles; and it is navigable as far as Bremen. Its principal affluents are the Aller, with its tributary, the Leine, from the right, and the Hunte from the left.