The Dinkel is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, left tributary of the Vecht. Its total length is 93 km, of which 47 km in Germany. The Dinkel originates in North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

, Germany, between Ahaus

Ahaus

Ahaus is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, lying some 20 km south-east of Enschede....

 and Coesfeld

Coesfeld

Coesfeld is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St. Ludger, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of...

. It flows north to Gronau

Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia

Gronau is a city in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km east of Enschede.- Notable persons :...

, crosses the border with the Netherlands (Overijssel

Overijssel

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...

), flows through Denekamp

Denekamp

Denekamp is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the region of Twente and the municipality of Dinkelland, and lies about 9 km northeast of Oldenzaal....

, and recrosses the border to Germany (Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

). The Dinkel joins the Vecht in Neuenhaus

Neuenhaus

Neuenhaus is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony, and is the seat of a like-named Joint Community . Neuenhaus lies on the river Vechte near the border with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is roughly 10 km northwest of Nordhorn, and 30 km north of...

.