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Potomac River

Potomac River (Wappatomaka)
Usa great falls potomac md 2004 01 31 a.jpg
Country United States
States West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Tributaries
 - left Monocacy River, Anacostia River
 - right Shenandoah River, Occoquan River
Cities Harpers Ferry, WV, Cumberland, MD, Washington, D.C., Arlington, VA, Alexandria, VA
Source Fairfax Stone
 - elevation 3,060 ft (933 m)
 - coordinates 39°11′43″N 79°29′28″W / 39.19528°N 79.49111°W / 39.19528; -79.49111
Mouth Chesapeake Bay
 - location St. Mary's County, Maryland / Northumberland County, Virginia, United States
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m)
 - coordinates 37°59′57″N 76°14′59″W / 37.99917°N 76.24972°W / 37.99917; -76.24972Coordinates: 37°59′57″N 76°14′59″W / 37.99917°N 76.24972°W / 37.99917; -76.24972
Length 405 mi (652 km)
Basin 14,700 sq mi (38,073 km2)
Discharge for Little Falls, near Washington, D.C. (non-tidal)
 - average 11,600 cu ft/s (328 m3/s)
 - max 484,000 cu ft/s (13,705 m3/s)
 - min 66 cu ft/s (2 m3/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
 - Point of Rocks, MD 7,320 cu ft/s (207 m3/s)
Potomacwatershedmap.png
The Potomac River watershed covers the District of Columbia and parts of four states

The Potomac River /pəˈtmək/ (About this sound listen ) is located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States and flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river (main stem and North Branch) is approximately 405 miles (652 km) long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 km²). In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the United States and the 21st largest in the United States. Over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed.

The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C., on the left descending bank and West Virginia and Virginia on the river's right descending bank. The majority of the lower Potomac River is part of the State of Maryland. Exceptions include a small tidal portion within the District of Columbia, and the border with Virginia being delineated from "point to point" (thus various bays and shoreline indentations lie in Virginia). Except for a small portion of its headwaters in West Virginia, the North Branch Potomac River is considered part of Maryland to the low water mark on the opposite bank. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state of West Virginia except for its headwaters, which lie in Virginia.


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Wikipedia

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