Saint John River
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&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:FrederictonNB_SaintJohnRiver.jpg) Saint John River in Fredericton, NB | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:St_John_River_Map.png) The course of the Saint John River | |
| Etymology | Feast Day of John the Baptist Bountiful and good / the beautiful river |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Provinces | |
| State | Maine |
| Cities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Saint John Ponds |
| • location | Somerset County, Maine, United States |
| • elevation | 360 m (1,180 ft) |
| 2nd source | Little Saint John Lake |
| • location | Saint-Zacharie, Quebec, Canada |
| 3rd source | Lac Frontière |
| • location | Montmagny Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Aroostook County, Maine, United States |
| • coordinates | 46°33′47″N 69°53′06″W / 46.5630°N 69.8850°W |
| Mouth | Bay of Fundy |
• location | Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
• coordinates | 45°16′N 66°4′W / 45.267°N 66.067°W |
| Length | 673 km (418 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 54,986 km2 (21,230 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 990 m3/s (35,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Tobique River, Jemseg River, Belleisle Bay, Kennebecasis River |
| • right | Allagash River, Aroostook River, Nerepis River |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Wolastoq National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | July 19, 2011 |
| Reference no. | 18954 |
The Saint John River (French: fleuve Saint-Jean; Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: Wolastoq) is a 673-kilometre-long (418 mi) river flowing within the Dawnland region from headwaters in the Notre Dame Mountains near the Maine-Quebec border through western New Brunswick to the northwest shore of the Bay of Fundy. Eastern Canada's longest river,[2] its drainage basin is one of the largest on the east coast[3] at about 55,000 square kilometres (21,000 sq mi). This “River of the Good Wave” and its tributary drainage basin formed the territorial countries of the Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy First Nations (named Wolastokuk and Peskotomuhkatik, respectively) prior to European colonization, and it remains a cultural centre of the Wabanaki Confederacy to this day.
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty following the Aroostook War established a border between New Brunswick and Maine following 130 km (80 miles) of the river, while a tributary forms 55 km (35 miles) of the border between Quebec and Maine. Maine communities along the river include Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren. New Brunswick settlements through which it passes include, moving downstream, Edmundston, Fredericton, Oromocto, and Saint John.
It is regulated by hydro-power dams at Mactaquac, Beechwood, and Grand Falls, New Brunswick.
- ^ "Saint John River". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ Esrock, Robin. "St. John River Valley". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "St. John Watershed". Maine Rivers. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2018.