Introduction to Rivers

Hudson River The Hudson River flows from north to south through eastern New York State and forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. It is named for Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Company, who explored it in 1609.New YorkStateNew York CityNew JerseyAtlantic OceanHenry Hudson EnglishmanDutch East India Company

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is red. It flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The name Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River") or gichi-ziibi ("Big River") at its headwaters.Ojibwe

Ohio River The Ohio River travels through many states. During the nineteenth century, it was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory, thus serving as the border between free and slave territory.Northwest Territoryslave

Rio Grande Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, this river, 1,885 miles (3,034 km) long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States [1] and serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.United StatesMexicoriver [1]TexasChihuahuaCoahuilaNuevo LeónTamaulipas

Colorado River The Colorado River cuts through the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River ('Aha Kwahwat in Mojave) [2] is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea. Mojave [2]riverUnited StatesMexicoRocky MountainsGulf of CaliforniaImperial Valleydesiccated

Rivers provide drinking water, irrigation water, transportation, electrical power, drainage, food, and recreation. Rivers also erode land and carry it downstream to the sea. This kind of erosion can even form canyons, like the Grand Canyon, and waterfalls, like Niagara Falls.