Delaware River

Delaware River
The river looking north above Walpack Bend, where it leaves the historic Minisink region, a buried valley eroded from Marcellus Shale bedrock
Country	United States
States	New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland
Tributaries
- left	Neversink River, Musconetcong River
- right	Lehigh River, Schuylkill River, Christina River
Cities	Port Jervis, NY, Easton, PA, Trenton, NJ, Camden, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Chester, PA, Wilmington, DE
Source	West Branch
- location	Mount Jefferson, Town of Jefferson, Schoharie County, New York, United States
- elevation	2,240 ft (683 m)
- coordinates	42°27′12″N 74°36′26″W / 42.45333°N 74.60722°W / 42.45333; -74.60722
Secondary source	East Branch
- location	Grand Gorge, Town of Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, United States
- elevation	1,560 ft (475 m)
- coordinates	42°21′26″N 74°30′42″W / 42.35722°N 74.51167°W / 42.35722; -74.51167
Source confluence
- elevation	880 ft (268 m)
- coordinates	41°56′20″N 75°16′46″W / 41.93889°N 75.27944°W / 41.93889; -75.27944
Mouth	Delaware Bay
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	39°25′13″N 75°31′11″W / 39.42028°N 75.51972°W / 39.42028; -75.51972Coordinates: 39°25′13″N 75°31′11″W / 39.42028°N 75.51972°W / 39.42028; -75.51972
Length	301 mi (484 km)
Basin	14,119 sq mi (36,568 km2)
Discharge	for Trenton
- average	13,100 cu ft/s (371 m3/s)
- max	329,000 cu ft/s (9,316 m3/s)
- min	4,310 cu ft/s (122 m3/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Port Jervis	7,900 cu ft/s (224 m3/s)
Map of the Delaware River watershed, showing major tributaries and cities

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles (36,570 km²) in five U.S. states—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Rising in two branches in New York state's Catskill Mountains, the river flows 419 miles (674 km) into Delaware Bay where its waters enter the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May in New Jersey and Cape Henlopen in Delaware. Not including Delaware Bay, the river's length including its two branches is 388 miles (624 km). The Delaware River is one of nineteen "Great Waters" recognized by the America's Great Waters Coalition.

The Delaware River rises in two main branches that descend from the western flank of the Catskill Mountains in New York. The West Branch begins near Mount Jefferson in the Town of Jefferson in Schoharie County. The river's East Branch begins at Grand Gorge near Roxbury Delaware County. These two branches flow west and merge near Hancock in Delaware County and the combined waters flow as the Delaware River south. Through its course, the Delaware River forms the boundaries between Pennsylvania and New York, the entire boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and most of the boundary between Delaware and New Jersey. The river meets tide-water at the junction of Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey at the Falls of the Delaware. The river's navigable, tidal section served as a conduit for shipping and transportation that aided the development of the industrial cities of Trenton, Camden, and Philadelphia. The mean freshwater discharge of the Delaware River into the estuary of Delaware Bay is 11,550 cubic feet (330 m³) per second.