Saint Lawrence River facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay
Map of the Saint Lawrence/Great Lakes Watershed
Other name(s)	Fleuve Saint-Laurent, Fleuve St-Laurent, St-Lawrence River, St-Laurent River
Country	Canada, United States
Provinces	Ontario, Quebec
State	New York
Major City	Montreal
Metropolitan Area	Greater Montreal
Physical characteristics
Main source	Lake Ontario Kingston, Ontario / Cape Vincent, New York 74.7 m (245 ft) 44°06′N 76°24′W / 44.100°N 76.400°W / 44.100; -76.400
River mouth	Gulf of St. Lawrence / Atlantic Ocean Quebec, Canada 0 m (0 ft) 49°30′N 64°30′W / 49.500°N 64.500°W / 49.500; -64.500
Length	500 km (310 mi)Excluding the estuary. Ca. 1200 km if included.
Basin features
Basin size	1,344,200 km2 (519,000 sq mi)

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 Quebec & Ontario and the American state of New York, and through the major canadian city of Montreal. It is the third largest river in Canada.

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. The Saint Lawrence Seaway allows ships to go up the river and through the Great Lakes right into the middle of North America.

Images for kids

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  The Champlain Sea

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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