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Rivers flow downhill, with their direction determined by gravity. [6] A common misconception holds that all or most rivers flow from North to South, but this is not true. [6] As rivers flow downstream, they eventually merge to form larger rivers. A river that feeds into another is a tributary, and the place they meet is a confluence. [4]
A stone near Crissolo, Italy, inscribed: Here is born the Po. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) states that a river's "length may be considered to be the distance from the mouth to the most distant headwater source (irrespective of stream name), or from the mouth to the headwaters of the stream commonly known as the source stream".
The second longest river in North America and the United States is the Mississippi River (2,320 mi (3,730 km)). The Rio Conchos (350 mi (560 km)) is the longest river in Mexico. The longest river in Canada is the Mackenzie River (1,080 mi (1,740 km)). Some of the longest or otherwise notable rivers include the rivers listed in the table below.
List of drainage basins by area (including rivers, lakes, and endorheic basins); List of largest unfragmented rivers; List of longest undammed rivers; List of river name etymologies
The steep grades and variable flows of most other West Coast rivers make them unsuitable for large boat travel. Also, most large rivers there are dammed, often in multiple places, to supply water for hydroelectricity production and other uses. Mountainous terrain and a shortage of water make canals in the West infeasible as well.
List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem) List of longest rivers of the United States by state; List of rivers of the United States by discharge; List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers; List of river borders of U.S. states; List of rivers of U.S. insular areas; List of rivers of the Americas by coastline
Through much of the 19th century, the Tennessee River was considered to start at the mouth of Clinch River (at Kingston). An 1889 declaration by the Tennessee General Assembly designated Kingsport (on the Holston River ) as the start of the Tennessee, but the following year a federal law was enacted that finally fixed the start of the river at ...
Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, [5] the river has a drainage basin of 28,756.6 square miles (74,479 km 2). [6] The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers in the Chicago metropolitan area, and it generally flows to the southwest across Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi near Grafton ...