Selawik River

Selawik River
Selawik River is located in Alaska
Selawik River
Location of the mouth of the Selawik River in Alaska
Native nameSiiḷivium Kuuŋa (Inupiaq)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
DistrictYukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Northwest Arctic Borough
Physical characteristics
SourcePurcell Mountains
 • locationYukon–Koyukuk Census Area
 • coordinates66°16′52″N 156°50′51″W / 66.28111°N 156.84750°W / 66.28111; -156.84750[1]
 • elevation1,825 ft (556 m)[2]
MouthSelawik Lake
 • location
8 miles (13 km) north of Selawik, Northwest Arctic Borough
 • coordinates
66°36′06″N 160°19′47″W / 66.60167°N 160.32972°W / 66.60167; -160.32972[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length140 mi (230 km)[3]
TypeWild 168.0 miles (270.4 km)
DesignatedDecember 2, 1980[4]

The Selawik River (Iñupiaq: Siiḷivium Kuuŋa; Koyukon: Nozaatne) is a stream, 140 miles (230 km) long, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] Originating in the Purcell Mountains near the Zane Hills, it flows generally west through the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge to Selawik Lake, which empties into the Kotzebue Sound in the Chukchi Sea.[5] The river is approximately at the latitude of the Arctic Circle.[5]

The village of Selawik is along the river near its mouth.[5] The river is used for subsistence fishing by residents and for rafting and sport fishing by tourists.

  1. ^ a b c "Selawik River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 23, 2001. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. p. 852. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  4. ^ "National Wild and Scenic Rivers System". rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  5. ^ a b c Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.