Bayou Teche | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
States | Louisiana |
Parishes | |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Bayou Courtableu at Port Barre, St. Landry Parish |
• coordinates | 30°33′36″N 91°57′25″W / 30.560°N 91.957°W |
Mouth | |
• location | Lower Atchafalaya River near Patterson, St. Mary Parish |
• coordinates | 29°43′08″N 91°20′02″W / 29.719°N 91.334°W |
Length | 125 miles (201 km) |
Basin features | |
Cities |
Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: Bayou Têche) is a 125-mile-long (201 km)[1] waterway in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago. Through a natural process known as deltaic switching, the river's deposits of silt and sediment cause the Mississippi to change its course every thousand years or so.