What are the Shortest & Smallest River In The U.S

Rosemary May 04, 2023 | 13:14

Is it really possible that a mere 200 feet of the stream's length is also referred to as a river? The US's shortest river is that one.

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What Is The Shortest River In The US? Photo Pinterest

What is the shortest river in the US?

The shortest recorded river in the United States is the Roe River in Montana, which is also the smallest. The Roe River in Cascade County empties into the Missouri River after only 201 feet (61 meters) of flow.

How was Roe River named?

Photo atlasobscura

Before 1988, the Roe River had no name. However, a group of fifth graders from Great Falls, Montana, spearheaded an effort to have the name accepted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The D River in Lincoln City, Oregon, which is 400 feet long, was dethroned from the title of world's shortest river by the same fifth graders who also petitioned Guinness beginning in 1987.

Due to the small river's proximity to the State Fish Hatchery, fifth-graders named it Roe River after the word "roe" for fish eggs.

The Giant Springs, which is regarded as the biggest freshwater spring in the United States, is where the Roe River gets its water. Giant Springs discharges an average of 242 cubic feet per minute, which is enough to technically fill two and a half Olympic-sized pools. Its water is 54°F because of snowmelt from the Little Belt Mountains, which are 60 miles away. According to some estimates, the underground journey of the water takes about 26 years before it reaches the springs. A portion of the water discharged is used by the Giant Springs Trout Hatchery in Montana, which raises trout.

Roe River Additional Facts

*Roe River earned its title “Shortest River in the World” from students at the Lincoln Elementary School in Great Falls, Montana.

* There is another river named Roe located at Kimberley of Western Australia which is 41 miles long (66,000m) which is 1,081 times bigger than the Roe River in Montana, USA.

Is the Roe River Actually the Shortest River in the World?

The Roe River, which is frequently referred to as the shortest river in the world, was actually given that Guinness World Record in 1987 as a result of some petitioning by some neighborhood elementary school students. (A sign on the riverbank explains that due to its proximity to the State Fish Hatchery, the river was also given the nickname "Roe" at the time, which means fish eggs.)

Before Guinness discontinued the category, the record was repeatedly contested, and according to many measurements, there are shorter rivers in other parts of the world, including the Tamborasi River in Indonesia and the Kovasselva River in Norway, both of which measure just 65.6 feet long. However, the D River in Oregon is the only river shorter than the Roe River in the entire country.

The Roe River may be the smallest river ever discovered in the United States, but there are other, much smaller rivers in other parts of the globe. For instance, the Tamborasi River in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, which is only 65.6 feet (20 meters) long, is thought to be Southeast Asia's tiniest river.

In Finland, the Kuokanjoki, which links Lake Sumiainen and Lake Keitele, is only about 11 feet (3.5 meters) long.

Georgia's Reprua River is only 27 meters (89 feet) long.

Croatia's Ombla River is just 98 feet (30 meters) long.

Depending on the tide, the Los Patos in the Dominican Republic is 201 feet (61 meters) tall.

What are the other short rivers in the US?

The Los Patos River

This river is near the town of Paraso in the Barahona Province of the Dominican Republic. It can also be said to be the world's shortest river because of its 61 m length. 'The Ducks' is how the river's name can be translated. It alludes to the numerous ducks that the explorers saw at this river. Sadly, overhunting caused the ducks in the river to disappear. To promote tourism in the area, Muscovy ducks were recently introduced to the Los Patos.

The D River

Lincoln City in Oregon is where you can find the D River. It is 130 meters or 440 feet long. The river runs entirely through Lincoln City and drains Devils Lake before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Two significant kite festivals are held annually in the region surrounding the river, which is a well-liked recreation area. The river used to go by a variety of names because it had no official name. Only after a competition did it receive the moniker "D River."

Chute River

The 320 m long Chute River is located in the Cumberland County of Maine in the US. It has a length of 320 m. The river stretches between the Long Lake and the Brady Point. The Naples Bridge of the U.S. Route 302 passes over this river.

Nautley River

One of the shortest rivers in North America is the Nautley River. It is 800 meters long. In Canada's British Columbia, the river is in motion. It is the province of Canada's river with the shortest length. The Powell River, another short river in British Columbia, is a formidable rival to the Nautley River for the distinction of being the "Shortest River in British Columbia." Which river is the shortest is a point of contention between backers of the Powell River and those of the Nautley River. The Nadleh Whut'en First Nation Reserve encompasses the entire length of the Nautley River.

The Powell River

The Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia is where this river is situated. It is among the shortest rivers in North America with a length of 1005 meters. The Powell River flows through the same-named city for a while before emptying into the Salish Sea. Dr. Israel W. Powell, a survivor of the Cariboo Gold Rush, gave the river its name.

The Link River

This 2.4 km-long river originates in the US city of Klamath Falls. Between Upper Klamath Lake and Lake Ewauna, the river acts as a connector. In the middle of the two lakes is the Link River Dam. The Klamath River eventually empties into the Pacific Ocean after draining the Lake Ewauna.

What is the longest river in the US?

Photo visit Montana

Columbia River. One of the longest rivers in the country is the Missouri River. It passes through the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri and is situated in the nation's midwestern region. The length of the river is about 2,341 miles.

In Montana, where the Jefferson and Madison rivers merge, the Missouri River begins. Once in North Dakota and South Dakota, it turns east and travels through Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri before continuing north. Near St. Louis, Missouri, the river finally empties into the Mississippi River.

Millions of people in the Midwest rely on it as a major source of water for irrigation and drinking. The river is a well-liked location for leisure activities like swimming, boating, and fishing.

Since the early 1800s, the Missouri River has played a significant role in American history. The river was investigated by Lewis and Clark as part of their journey to the West Coast. During the 19th century, the river served as a vital transportation route for settlers heading west. The Missouri River continues to play a significant role in Midwest culture today.

World Record Rivers

The world’s deepest river: The Congo

Without sending down divers, it is challenging to determine a river's depth with precision, but in 2008, scientists on the Congo River used echo sounders and GPS systems to measure depths of at least 220 meters, well below the level of visible light.

A strange influx of pale, blind fish that only surfaced when they were dead or dying first warned them. When currents occasionally drove the fish to the surface of the freshwater equivalent of the deep sea, they quickly perished from the bends.

The world’s longest river: The Nile

The Nile's enormous length, which spans from its source in Africa's tropical highlands through Ethiopian jungles and the Saharan wastes before emptying into the Mediterranean, totals 6,695 kil

Despite the fact that there are sturgeon species that can grow to enormous sizes in both freshwater and saltwater, the Mekong giant catfish is regarded as the largest freshwater fish overall and almost certainly the biggest fish ever measured.

A small whale-sized fish measuring 2.7 meters and 293 kilograms was dredged up by Thai fishermen in 2005. Giant marine creatures, like Megalodon and Moby Dick, have long captivated anglers and storytellers, and the search for even bigger fish continues.

ometers, narrowly beating out the much larger Amazon for the title of longest river in the world.

The White Nile and the Blue Nile, the river's two main tributaries, converge in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, one of countless towns and cities that have survived on the Nile over the centuries.

The river with the largest fish: The Mekong

The river that runs through most capital cities: The Danube

The Danube holds the distinction of passing through more countries (10) and capital cities (four) than any other river (aside from the Nile), which may speak more to Europe's density than its geography.

The river flows through the capital cities of Austria's Vienna, Slovakia's Bratislava, Hungary's Budapest, and Serbia's Belgrade from its source in southern Germany before snaking through Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea.

Most polluted river: Citarum

The most polluted river in the world is the Citarum River in Indonesia. The Buni clay pottery-making culture grew and thrived there in prehistoric times, but now the river is so full of plastic, household and industrial waste, raw sewage and other human refuse, that the river’s water is practically invisible.

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