CogKnoSys

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Physical

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, flowing 1,243 miles from Canada's Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

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The idea

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into Washington, and then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and Oregon before it reaches the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. By flow, it is the fourth-largest river in the United States.

Since ancient times, the river has been a highway linking the region's many peoples. Salmon and other fish that migrate between the river and the ocean were the main food source for Native peoples. In Upper Chinook, the river is called Wimahl.

Since the early 20th century, dams have been built across the river for power, navigation, irrigation and flood control. Fourteen hydroelectric dams stand on its main stem, and many more on its tributaries. In 2012, the river and its tributaries produced 44 percent of all U.S. hydroelectric power. Locks and dredged channels help ships and barges travel the lower river. These changes have also harmed the river, mainly through industrial pollution and dams that block fish migration.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

How long is the Columbia River?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Headwaters — The river forms in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada.
  • Snake River — The Columbia's largest tributary.
  • Hydroelectric Dams — Fourteen dams on the main stem make electricity and help control floods.
  • Shipping Channel — Locks and dredged channels that let ships and barges use the lower river.
  • Anadromous Fish — Salmon and other fish that migrate between the river and the Pacific Ocean.

Connection

how it relates

Under Lower Columbia Rivers and Waterways

Related

  1. Columbia River Salmon Runsstrength 80 of 100

    Salmon migrate up the Columbia from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in its tributaries.

  2. Water Cyclestrength 40 of 100

    A great river carries rain and melted snow from a wide area back to the ocean, a key step in the water cycle.

In place

  1. Columbia River Gorgestrength 70 of 100

    The river runs through the Columbia River Gorge, the route early overland explorers took to reach the Willamette Valley.

  2. Vancouver, Washingtonstrength 50 of 100

    In October 1792 William Broughton sailed about 100 miles up the Columbia, past what is now Vancouver, Washington, as far as the Sandy River.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta sighted the river's mouth in 1775, and on May 11, 1792, Captain Robert Gray's ship Columbia Rediviva became the first non-indigenous vessel to enter it.
Now
As of 2023, the cleanup of the Hanford Site, where plutonium for nuclear weapons was made for decades on the river's banks, was sixteen years behind schedule.
Next
Efforts to reduce pollution and help fish get past dams will likely shape how the river is managed in the coming decades.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, flowing 1,243 miles from Canada's Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

See it on the map

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into Washington, and then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and Oregon before it reaches the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. By flow, it is the fourth-largest river in the United States.

Since ancient times, the river has been a highway linking the region's many peoples. Salmon and other fish that migrate between the river and the ocean were the main food source for Native peoples. In Upper Chinook, the river is called Wimahl.

Since the early 20th century, dams have been built across the river for power, navigation, irrigation and flood control. Fourteen hydroelectric dams stand on its main stem, and many more on its tributaries. In 2012, the river and its tributaries produced 44 percent of all U.S. hydroelectric power. Locks and dredged channels help ships and barges travel the lower river. These changes have also harmed the river, mainly through industrial pollution and dams that block fish migration.

Check yourself

3 quick questions, instant feedback.