Fraser River
For other rivers with this name see Fraser River (disambiguation)
The Fraser River is the longest river of British Columbia
in Canada, rising in the Rocky
Mountains near Mount Robson flowing for 1400 km (870 mi), into the
Pacific Ocean at the city of Vancouver.
Map showing Fraser River and major tributaries
The Fraser drains a 220,000 km² area. Its source is just below Mount Edith Cavell, and for the first part of its course it runs northwest, past Mount Robson, reaching
past 54° north before making a sharp turn to the south. At the town of Prince George it is joined by the Nechako River, then continues south and
slightly east until just north of the United States border, passing
through the Coast Mountains in a deep canyon. It then turns west,
passing by Chilliwack and then forming a
large delta where it empties into the Strait of Georgia between
the mainland and Vancouver Island. The areas south of the City of
Vancouver, namely Richmond, Delta and other smaller municipalities all sit on the flat
flood plain. The river's volume at its mouth is 112 km³ each year, and it
dumps 20 million tons of sediment into the ocean.
The upper reaches of the Fraser River were first explored by Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 1793, and fully traced by Simon Fraser in 1807, who confirmed that it was not connected with the Columbia
River.
The Fraser is heavily exploited by human activities, especially in its lower reaches. Its banks are rich farmland, its water
is used by pulp mills, and a few dams on
some tributaries provide hydroelectric power. The main flow
of the Fraser has never been dammed.
Tributaries:
External link
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