The
USA river map represents the numerous rivers and various water bodies present across the country of United States of America. River
map of usa in this page gives a clear idea about the source and course of all the US rivers and positions of the US lakes.
One of the distinct characteristics of US geography is the
country's extensive drainage system comprising some of the world's largest rivers and lakes. In the river map of the USA given in this page, one can see an extensive network of water bodies covering the vast territory of United States in the North American landmass. While some of the
USA rivers and lakes serve as vital waterways for inland navigation others are useful sources of irrigation and power generation. For certain cities like
New Orleans, river basins usher in growth and prosperity for the city and its people. The whole drainage topography of the USA may be divided into two main subsystems, namely the Eastern systems and the Pacific systems.
From the river map of the USA, one can see that eastern systems include the
Mississippi River and its tributaries like the Missouri River, the Ohio and the Tennessee, which create the fourth largest river system in the world. The Rio Grande River originating in the San Juan Mountains of the US state of Colorado constitutes the third largest river system in the world and drains the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The lake system of the US comprises Great Lakes of Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan, the first four of which are shared with Canada. The Mississippi River is also considered as one of the world's great navigable rivers and together with the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes system, which forms the largest navigable inland waterways network in the world. The Great Lakes of the US constitute the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world.
The Pacific systems include rivers largely unfit for navigation unlike the Eastern systems. These rivers drain an area west of the Rockies and therefore most of them flow through arid topography. The scanty runoff is sucked by the interior basin of the arid desert and steppes, as a result of which very few rivers of the Pacific system like the Columbia,
Colorado river and the Sacramento actually reach the sea. Some of them like Colorado and Colombia rivers have created brilliant gorges with spectacular landscapes and breathtaking scenery. The pacific systems hold tremendous hydroelectric potential and are considered a vital source of power and irrigation.
Of the several prominent inland water bodies featured in the
Map of USA Rivers and Lakes, the Mississippi, the Colorado and the Great Lakes deserve further attention:
The Mississippi: The Mississippi is the largest river in North America and together with its tributaries it drains a total area of about 3.1 million square kilometers. In the
north, river Mississippi originates in Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flowing southwards it travels a total distance of 3,734 km to finally drain into the Gulf of Mexico. It is also home to the most important inland waterway in the United States. The Mississippi river belongs to the Jefferson-Missouri-Mississippi river system, which is the largest one in the whole of North America.
States bordering the Mississippi river include, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The
Arkansas river one of the major tributaries of Mississippi river.
The Colorado: The Colorado is another of the USA's major rivers rising up the Rocky Mountains. It drains a total area of 637,000 sq km, which comprises largely arid and semi-arid areas. Flowing largely west and south from its source in the Rockies, the Colorado travels a total distance of 2,330 kilometers to finally empty into the Gulf of California. The Colorado is also known for the deep gorges that it cuts through and for the canyons it had formed of which the most spectacular is the Grand Canyon.
The Great Lakes: Located in east-central North America, the Great Lakes form the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world covering a total area of 244,106 sq km. Of the five Great Lakes, only Lake Michigan falls entirely within the territory of the United States with the remaining four being shared with Canada. Apart from being the site for large population concentrations and industrial activities, the Great Lakes also handle the highest volume of fresh water shipping tonnage in the world.
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Map Index
Major Rivers and Lakes of USA: Sacramento River, Columbia River, Missouri River, Salmon River, Yellowstone River, Arkansas River, Colorado River, Gila River, Connecticut River, Yukon River, Pecos River, Red River, Tennessee River, Mississippi River, Snake River, Great Salt Lake, Platte River, Minnesota River, Lake Superior, Lake Heron, Lake Michigan, Salton Sea, Roosevelt Lake, Gulf of California.
