Saint John River (Bay of Fundy)

The Saint John River (French: Fleuve Saint-Jean; Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: Wolastoq) is a 673-kilometre-long (418 mi) river flowing within the Dawnland region from headwaters in the Notre Dame Mountains near the Maine-Quebec border through western New Brunswick to the northwest shore of the Bay of Fundy. Eastern Canada's longest river, its drainage basin is one of the largest on the east coast at about 55,000 square kilometres (21,000 sq mi). This “River of the Good Wave” and its tributary drainage basin formed the territorial countries of the Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy First Nations (named Wolastokuk and Peskotomuhkatik, respectively) prior to European colonization, and it remains a cultural centre of the Wabanaki Confederacy to this day.

Saint John River
  • Fleuve Saint-Jean
  • Wolastoq
Saint John River in Fredericton, NB
The course of the Saint John River
EtymologyFeast Day of John the Baptist
Bountiful and good / the beautiful river
Location
Countries
Provinces
StateMaine
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceSaint John Ponds
  locationSomerset County, Maine, United States
  elevation360 m (1,180 ft)
2nd sourceLittle Saint John Lake
  locationSaint-Zacharie, Quebec, Canada
3rd sourceLac Frontière
  locationMontmagny Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada
Source confluence 
  locationAroostook County, Maine, United States
  coordinates46°33′47″N 69°53′06″W
MouthBay of Fundy
  location
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
  coordinates
45°16′N 66°4′W
Length673 km (418 mi)
Basin size54,986 km2 (21,230 sq mi)
Discharge 
  average990 m3/s (35,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  leftTobique River, Jemseg River, Belleisle Bay, Kennebecasis River
  rightAllagash River, Aroostook River, Nerepis River
Designations
Official nameWolastoq National Historic Site of Canada
DesignatedJuly 19, 2011
Reference no.18954

The Webster–Ashburton Treaty following the Aroostook War established a border between New Brunswick and Maine following 130 km (80 miles) of the river, while a tributary forms 55 km (35 miles) of the border between Quebec and Maine. Maine communities along the river include Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren. New Brunswick settlements through which it passes include, moving downstream, Edmundston, Fredericton, Oromocto, and Saint John.

It is regulated by hydro-power dams at Mactaquac, Beechwood, and Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

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