Altamaha River

Altamaha River
River
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Tributaries
- left	Ohoopee River, Beards Creek
- right	Penholoway Creek
Source	near Hazlehurst
- elevation	82 ft (25 m)
- coordinates	31°57′33″N 82°32′37″W / 31.95917°N 82.54361°W / 31.95917; -82.54361
Mouth	Atlantic Ocean
- location	Altamaha Sound
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	31°18′57″N 81°17′5″W / 31.31583°N 81.28472°W / 31.31583; -81.28472Coordinates: 31°18′57″N 81°17′5″W / 31.31583°N 81.28472°W / 31.31583; -81.28472
Length	137 mi (220 km)
Basin	14,000 sq mi (36,260 km2)
Discharge	for Doctortown, GA
- average	13,520 cu ft/s (383 m3/s)
- max	178,000 cu ft/s (5,040 m3/s)
- min	1,410 cu ft/s (40 m3/s)
Map of the Altamaha River watershed showing the two main tributaries, the Ocmulgee River and the Oconee River.

The Altamaha River /ˈɑːltəməhɑː/ is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams directly on the Altamaha, though there are some on the Oconee and the Ocmulgee. Including its tributaries, the Altamaha River's drainage basin is about 14,000 square miles (36,000 km²) in size, qualifying it among the larger river basins of the US Atlantic coast. It is reportedly the third largest contributor of fresh water to the Atlantic Ocean from North America. Including its longest tributary (the Ocmulgee River) in length calculations as is standard USGS practice, its length of 470 miles (760 km) places it seventh on the list of U.S. rivers entirely within one state, behind only four Alaskan rivers, the Sacramento-Pit River in California, and the Trinity River in Texas. The beginning of the Colorado River of Texas is just within New Mexico. The long Mobile-Alabama-Coosa River system, mostly in Alabama, originates a short distance within Georgia.