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Congo (kŏng′gō) or Zaïre (zī′ēr, zäēr′), great river of equatorial Africa, c.2,720 mi (4,380 km) long, formed by the waters of the Lualaba River and its tributary, the Luvua River, and flowing generally N and W through Congo (Kinshasa) to the Atlantic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Missouri, river, c.2,565 mi (4,130 km) long (including its Jefferson-Beaverhead-Red Rock headstream), the longest river of the United States and the principal tributary of the Mississippi River. The length of the combined Missouri-Mississippi system from the headwaters of the Missouri to the mouth of the Mississippi is c.3,740 mi (6,020 km), making it the world's third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon. The Missouri River drains an area of c.580,000 sq mi (1,502,200 sq km), including 2,550 sq mi (6,600 sq km) in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marne, river, c.325 mi (520 km) long, rising in the Langres plateau, NE France, and flowing in an arc generally NW to the Seine River near Paris. It passes through Chaumont and Châlons-en-Champagne. The Marne-Rhine Canal and the Marne-Saône Canal also connect with the Aisne, Meuse, Moselle, and Saar rivers. During World War I and World War II, the Marne region was the scene of much fighting, with especially heavy losses among the British forces. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Maritsa (märē′tsä), river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in the Rila Mts., W Bulgaria, and flowing SE between the Balkans and Rhodope Mts., past Plovdiv, to Edirne, Turkey, where it turns south to enter the Aegean Sea near Enez. The Tundzha is its chief tributary. The Maritsa's lower course forms part of the Bulgarian-Greek border and the Greek-Turkish line. The upper Maritsa valley is a principal east-west route in Bulgaria. The unnavigable river is used for power production and irrigation. It is known as the Évros by the Greeks and the Meriç by the Turks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

March: see Morava, river. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marais des Cygnes (mĕr′ē də sēn), river, c.140 mi (230 km) long, rising in E central Kans., SW of Topeka, and flowing SE into W Mo. to join the Little Osage River and form the Osage River. Subject to heavy flooding, the river has many flood control projects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Madre de Dios (mäd′rā t̲h̲ā dyōs), river, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, rising in the Andes of SE Peru and flowing NE through NW Bolivia to the Beni River. It is a major artery of NW Bolivia, but frequent rapids make its lower course only partly navigable. It drains a rubber-producing region. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Macon, Bayou (bī′ō mā′kən, mā′kŏn), c.145 mi (230 km) long, rising in SE Ark. and flowing S into NE La. to the Tensas River. It was used as a rendezvous by the bandits Frank and Jesse James. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lys (lēs), Du. Leie, river, c.135 mi (220 km) long, rising in the hills of Artois, N France, and flowing northeast, forming the Franco-Belgian border between Armentières and Menen. It continues into Belgium past Kortrijk to empty into the Scheldt (Schelde) River at Ghent (Gent). The Lys is canalized from Aire to Ghent. The Lys valley is known for flax spinning and weaving. It was the scene of severe fighting in World War I. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lusatian Neisse, river: see under Neisse. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lower Avon, river: see Avon 1, river, England. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lot, river, c.300 mi (483 km) long, rising in the Cévennes Mts., SE France, and flowing W past Mende and Cahors to join the Garonne River. The limestone plateaus through which the Lot winds are intersected by fertile valleys and vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little Tennessee, river, c.135 mi (220 km) long, rising in the Blue Ridge, NE Ga., and flowing generally NW across SW N.C. and through E Tenn. to the Tennessee River opposite Lenoir City. On the river in North Carolina near the Tennessee line is Fontana Dam (480 ft/146 m high; 2,365 ft/721 m long; completed 1945), impounding Fontana Lake. It is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and is the highest dam E of the Rocky Mts. The dam provides flood control, river regulation, and hydroelectricity. Cheoah Dam in North Carolina, and Calderwood and Chilhowee dams in Tennessee are also part of the TVA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little Sioux (sōō), river, 221 mi (356 km) long, rising in SW Minn. and flowing generally SW across NW Iowa to the Missouri River S of Sioux City. Flowing through a rich agricultural area in the Corn Belt, the river is used extensively for irrigation. The Nepper watershed project, near Mapleton, Iowa, consisting of four dams, was completed in 1948. Serious floods in 1953 and 1954 led to programs for flood control and soil conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little Red River, 105 mi (169 km) long, rising in the Boston Mts., NW Ark., and flowing SE to the White River. Greers Dam and reservoir (completed 1964) provide flood control and hydroelectric power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little Missouri. 1 River, c.145 mi (230 km) long, rising in the Ouachita Mts., SW Ark., and flowing generally SE to join the Ouachita River N of Camden. North of Murfreesboro is Narrows Dam (1950), which impounds Lake Greeson. 2 River, c.560 mi (900 km) long, rising in NE Wyo. and flowing NE into Garrison Reservoir on the Missouri River, W N.Dak. It flows through Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lippe, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in the Teutoburg Forest, W Germany and flowing westward into the Rhine River. It is canalized to permit barge navigation. Water from the Lippe is used in the Ruhr canal system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lewis. 1 Early name of the Snake River. 2 River, c.95 mi (155 km) long, rising in the Cascade Range, SW Wash., and flowing SW to the Columbia River NW of Vancouver. Three privately owned dams furnish hydroelectric power and form a string of lakes along the river's middle course. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Alabama, river, 315 mi (507 km) long, formed in central Ala. by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers N of Montgomery, Ala., and flowing SW to Mobile, Ala., where it joins the Tombigbee to form the Mobile River; drains c.22,600 sq mi (58,500 sq km). In the 1800s the river played an important role in the development of the region's economy as a transporter of goods. It remains an important mover of farm products, lumber, and manufactured goods. The Cahaba River, its chief tributary, is the source of water for Birmingham, Ala. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Akhelóos or Achelous (äkhĕlô′ôs), river, 137 mi (221 km) long, rising in the Pindus Mts., NW Greece, and flowing generally south, traversing many mountain gorges, and emptying into the Ionian Sea opposite Keffallinía. It is a source of hydroelectric power. It formed a part of the boundary between ancient Aetolia and Acarnania and was formerly called Aspropotamos. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kuskokwim (kŭs′kōkwĭm), river, c.650 mi (1,046 km) long, rising on the northwest slopes of the Alaska Range, central Alaska, and flowing SW to the Bering Sea. The shores of the river are mostly forested or uninhabited. Fur trapping and fishing are the principal activities along the Kuskokwim River. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kootenai (kōō′tĭnā), river, 407 mi (655 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts., SE British Columbia, Canada. It flows S into NW Montana, NW through N Idaho, then N into Canada. There it flows through Kootenay Lake (64 mi/103 km long; 191 sq mi/495 sq km), an expansion of the river, before joining the Columbia River at Castlegar. The river is used to generate hydroelectricity. The Canadian name is spelled Kootenay. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kizil Irmak (kəzŭl′ ərmäk′), anc. Halys, longest river of Turkey, c.715 mi (1,150 km) long, rising in the Kizil Dağ, N central Turkey, and flowing in a wide arc SW, then N, and then NE into the Black Sea. It has an irregular volume and is not used for navigation. The river is an important source of hydroelectric power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kings, river, 125 mi (201 km) long, rising in three forks in the Sierra Nevada, E Calif., and flowing SW to Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin valley. Its middle and southern forks flow through the great gorges of Kings Canyon National Park. Part of the Central Valley project, the Kings River has been linked with the San Joaquin River; Pine Flat Dam (completed 1954) impounds a huge reservoir used for flood control, irrigation, and river regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kicking Horse, river of SE British Columbia, Canada, rising in the Rocky Mts., and flowing SW and NW to Golden, where it enters the Columbia River. Its course is rapid, with several high falls. Kicking Horse Pass, 5,339 ft (1,627 m) high, NW of Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, connects the Bow River with the Kicking Horse and is one of the principal rail and highway passes over the Continental Divide. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kashka-Darya (kəshkä′-dəryä′), river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, Uzbekistan. It is the basis of a wide network of irrigation canals near the towns of Kitab and Kanshi. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kasai or Cassai, river, c.1,100 mi (1,800 km) long, rising in central Angola, S central Africa, flowing E, N, and NW through W Congo (Kinshasa) to the Congo River; it forms part of the Angola-Congo border. The Kasai, navigable for c.475 mi (760 km) above its mouth, is an important trade artery. Its tributaries include many navigable streams (some of which are rich in alluvial diamonds). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Juruá (zhōōrwä′), river, c.1,500 mi (2,410 km) long, rising in the Cerros de Canchyuaya, E Peru. It flows in a winding course generally NE through Acre and Amazonas states, W Brazil, to the Amazon River E of Fonte Boa. One of the Amazon's longer tributaries, it is navigable along one third of its course and was important for transport during the wild-rubber boom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Jordan, river, 60 mi (97 km) long, draining Utah Lake N into Great Salt Lake, N central Utah; it passes through Salt Lake City. Fed by numerous streams flowing off the Wasatch Range, the Jordan is used for irrigation and forms the heart of the Utah Oasis. Mormons settled along its banks in the mid-1800s. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Iris, river: see Yeşil Irmak. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Iowa, river, 329 mi (529 km) long, rising in the lakes of N Iowa and flowing SE to the Mississippi River, SE Iowa; Cedar River (300 mi/483 km long) is its chief tributary. A power dam crosses the gorge at Iowa Falls. The Iowa River has an extensive flood-control system; Coralville Dam and reservoir, N of Iowa City, is the largest unit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Inn (ĭn), river, c.320 mi (515 km) long, rising near the Lake of Sils, SE Switzerland. It flows NE through the Engadine valley, then through W Austria, past Innsbruck and Solbad Hall (the head of navigation), and into S central Germany. The Inn forms part of the German–Austrian border before entering the Danube River at Passau. There are more than 20 hydroelectric power plants on the river's swift-flowing stream. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Indigirka (ēndyĭgēr′kə), river, NE Siberian Russia, in the Sakha Republic. It rises in the Oymyakon plateau and flows c.1,100 mi (1,770 km) N into the Arctic Ocean. It is navigable (June–September) from its confluence with the Moma River to the Arctic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Humboldt, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in several branches in the mountains of NE Nev. It meanders generally west to disappear in Humboldt Sink, W Nevada. Along with its tributaries, the Humboldt drains most of N Nevada. Its length varies with the season, and its volume decreases downstream. Most of the towns of N Nevada are located on the river in a valley used by a major highway and railway as an east-west route. Near Lovelock the Humboldt project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is served by the Rye Patch Dam (completed 1936), which impounds water for irrigation. Forage crops are raised along the river. Known to early explorers and named by J. C. Frémont, the river was an important route followed by many of the emigrants from Salt Lake City to central California. Its course supplied wagon trains with water and grass. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Humber, river, c.75 mi (120 km) long, rising in the Long Range Mts., W Newfoundland, N.L., Canada, and flowing SE then SW, through Deer Lake, to the Bay of Islands at Corner Brook. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Huai or Hwai (both: hwī), river, c.680 mi (1,090 km) long, rising in the Tongbai Mts., Henan prov., E China, and flowing E across Anhui prov., through Hongze Lake, to the East China Sea. The Huai marks the boundary between the N China Plain and the Chang delta. More than two thirds of the fertile Huai basin is under cultivation; wheat, millet, and kaolin are the main crops. An irrigation canal branches from the river to the sea. Receiving many tributaries, the Huai floods more frequently and over a larger area than any river in N China; since 1950 extensive flood control facilities, including eight dams, have been built. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Harmás Körös, river: see Körös, river, Hungary. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Harlem River, navigable tidal channel, 8 mi (12.9 km) long with Spuyten Duyvil Creek, in New York City, SE N.Y., separating Manhattan from the Bronx. Connecting the Hudson and East rivers, it is a shipping shortcut between Long Island Sound and river ports north of New York City. Several railroad and many street bridges span the river. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gunnison, river, 180 mi (290 km) long, rising in W central Colo. and flowing SW, W, and NW to the Colorado River at Grand Junction. It flows through magnificent canyons, notably the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a national park. Gunnison Tunnel, c.5 mi (8 km) long, was built between 1905 and 1909 to divert the river's water to the Uncompahgre Valley for irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Green River. 1 River, 370 mi (595 km) long, rising in central Ky. and flowing generally NW, through Mammoth Cave National Park, to the Ohio River near Evansville, Ind. Locks and dams make the Green River navigable upstream to the park. 2 River, 730 mi (1,175 km) long, rising near the Continental Divide, W Wyo., and flowing generally S through W Wyo., NW Colo., and E Utah to the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park, SE Utah; it is the largest tributary of the Colorado. Most of its course flows through deep canyons, including Canyon of the Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument (see National Parks and Monuments, table). The White, Yampa, and San Rafael rivers are its main tributaries. The Colorado River storage project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has extensively developed the Green River basin for irrigation, mining, and hydroelectric power; Flaming Gorge Dam, NE Utah, is the major unit in this project. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Great Ouse, river: see Ouse 1, England. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Great Miami, river: see Miami, river. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Grand River. 1 River, 260 mi (418 km) long, rising in S Mich. and flowing N to Lansing, then NW to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. It is the longest river in the state and is navigable to the city of Grand Rapids, which grew there because of the availability of waterpower. 2 River, rising in SW N.Dak. and flowing 209 mi (336 km) SE through S.Dak. to the Missouri River near Mobridge. Shadehill Dam (1951), located on the river, was built for flood control and irrigation as part of the Missouri River basin project. 3 River in Okla.: see Neosho, river; Pensacola Dam. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Grand River, c.165 mi (270 km) long, rising in the highlands of the Ontario Peninsula, S Ont., Canada, and flowing S past Kitchener and Brantford, then SE to Lake Erie at Port Maitland. It is navigable for c.70 mi (110 km) upstream. The river drains one of the most populated regions of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Göta älv (yö″tä ĕlv′), river, 56 mi (90 km) long, SW Sweden, draining Vänern lake into the Kattegat. It is part of the Göta Canal, a 240-mi (386-km) system of rivers, lakes, and canals, which crosses S Sweden from Göteborg to Arkosund on the Baltic Sea and to Stockholm by way of the sea. The canals, which account for one half of the waterway's length, were opened in 1832 and ascend and descend c.300 ft (90 m) by means of 58 locks. The section that passes around the rapids at Trollhättan was modernized in 1916 to accommodate small oceangoing vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Görlitzer Neisse, river: see Neisse, river. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gatineau (găt′ĭnō), river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in the Laurentians, SW Que., Canada, and flowing S to the Ottawa River at Hull. There are several rapids with hydroelectric power plants on the river. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gambia, river, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, rising on the Fouta Djallon, N Guinea, W Africa, and flowing generally northwest through SE Senegal then west, bisecting The Gambia, to the Atlantic Ocean at Banjul. It is navigable for the entire length of The Gambia; oceangoing vessels can reach Georgetown, c.175 mi (280 km) upstream. The river is the chief transport artery of The Gambia and provides access to interior sections of Senegal and Guinea. In 1978, Senegal and The Gambia formed the Gambia River Development Organization (which was joined by Guinea in 1980) for the purpose of developing the river's natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gallatin, river, c.120 mi (190 km) long, rising in the Gallatin Range in the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, NW Wyo., and flowing generally northwest to join the Madison and Jefferson rivers at the Three Forks of the Missouri, SW Mont. The river is used for irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]