Connecticut River facts for kids

Map of the Connecticut River watershed

The Connecticut River is the longest river in New England. This region is in the eastern United States. The river is about 407 miles (655 kilometers) long. It flows through four U.S. states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The land area that drains into the river is called its watershed. This watershed covers a huge area of about 11,250 square miles (29,137 square kilometers). Every second, a lot of water flows from the river into Long Island Sound. This sound is a part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Many cities and towns are located along the Connecticut River. The biggest city on the river is Springfield, Massachusetts. The second largest is Hartford, Connecticut, which is the capital city of Connecticut. These two important cities are only about 24 miles (38.5 kilometers) apart.

Rivers Joining the Connecticut

Many smaller rivers and streams flow into the Connecticut River. These are called its tributaries. They bring water from the surrounding land into the main river. Here is a list of some of the important tributaries.

• CT means the river is in Connecticut.
• VT means the river is in Vermont.
• NH means the river is in New Hampshire.
• MA means the river is in Massachusetts.

Other pages

• List of rivers of Connecticut

Images for kids

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  View of Springfield on the Connecticut River by Alvan Fisher (Brooklyn Museum)

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  View of the City of Hartford, Connecticut by William Havell

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  View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow (1836) by Thomas Cole

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  The Memorial Bridge across the Connecticut River at Springfield, Massachusetts, the river's largest city

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  The Windsor Locks Canal Company at Enfield Falls, the Connecticut River's first major barrier to navigation

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  The Oxbow, Connecticut River, circa 1910

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  Downtown Hartford, Connecticut, during the 1936 flood

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  The Connecticut Lakes, the source of the Connecticut River, near the border of New Hampshire and Quebec

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  Great Falls (Bellows Falls) at high flow under the Vilas Bridge, taken from the end of Bridge St on the Vermont side, looking upriver

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  Satellite image of the Connecticut River depositing silt into Long Island Sound

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  Drift boat fishing guide working the river near Colebrook, New Hampshire

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  Harbor seal in the Connecticut River, below the Holyoke Dam, following the shad run

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  Riverbank restoration project in Fairlee, Vermont

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  Near First Connecticut Lake

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  Near Colebrook, New Hampshire

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  Looking north from the French King Bridge at the Erving-Gill town line in western Massachusetts

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  Mist upstream of the Bissell Bridge between Windsor and South Windsor, CT

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  Founders Bridge in Hartford, with a view of the Bulkeley Bridge upstream

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  The river near its mouth

See also

In Spanish: Río Connecticut para niños