River Great Ouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Great Ouse |
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The River Great Ouse after Brownshill Staunch, near Over in Cambridgeshire
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Great Ouse catchment
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Counties | Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Syresham, South Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England 150 m (490 ft) 52°05′33″N 1°05′35″W / 52.09252°N 1.09301°W |
| River mouth | The Wash King's Lynn, United Kingdom 0 m (0 ft) 52°47′47″N 0°21′53″E / 52.79632°N 0.36468°E |
| Length | 230 km (143 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 8,380 km2 (3,240 sq mi) |
The River Great Ouse is a long river in England. It is the longest of several rivers in Britain that are called "Ouse".
This river starts in Syresham in central England. It then flows into a region called East Anglia. Finally, it empties into the Wash, which is a large bay on the North Sea coast.
The Great Ouse is about 143 miles (230 km) long. It mostly flows towards the north and east. This makes it the fifth longest river in the United Kingdom. For a long time, the Great Ouse has been important. People used it for moving goods by boat. It also helped drain the low-lying lands it flows through.
Its most famous tributary (a smaller river that flows into a larger one) is the Cam. The River Cam runs right through the city of Cambridge. The lower part of the Great Ouse flows through areas that used to be wetlands and fens. These areas have been changed a lot over time. This was done to help prevent floods and make it easier for boats to travel. Now, the river reaches the Wash after passing through the port town of King's Lynn.
Images for kids
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The Great Ouse at Huntingdon
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The confluence of the Great Ouse with the Cam, on the left
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The Great Ouse at King's Lynn
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The Great Ouse at St Neots
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A seal at Wiggenhall St. Peter, Norfolk
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The Great Ouse near Little Paxton.
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Reconstruction of a first-century currach on the Great Ouse.
See also
In Spanish: Río Gran Ouse para niños
