Saint Lawrence River facts for kids

Saint Lawrence River
Fleuve Saint-Laurent
St. Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay
Countries	Canada, United States
State/Provinces	Ontario, Quebec, New York
Source	Lake Ontario
- location	Kingston, Ontario / Cape Vincent, New York
- elevation	74.7 m (245 ft)
- coordinates
Mouth	Gulf of Saint Lawrence / Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates
Length	1,197 km (744 mi)
Basin	1,344,200 km² (519,000 sq mi)
Discharge	for below the Saguenay River
- average	16,800 m³/s (590,000 cu ft/s)
Map of the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes Watershed

The Saint Lawrence River (French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Tuscarora: Kahnawáʼkye; Mohawk: Kaniatarowanenneh, meaning "big waterway") is a big river in eastern North America. It flows between the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York, and through the Canadian province of Quebec.

The river drains water from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than three thousand kilometres long. The river meets the Atlantic Ocean in a big "estuary" or bay, the biggest in the world; this is called the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The Canadian cities of Kingston, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City are on this river. It is very important because ships can sail up the river and through the Great Lakes right into the middle of North America. It is the third largest river in Canada.

Images for kids

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  Map of 1543 showing Cartier's discoveries

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  Basque settlements and sites dating from the 16th and 17th centuries

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  Watching fin whales off Tadoussac