Editing Detroit River (section)

==Geography==
[[File:The Detroit River Between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario (21702477435).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Aerial view of the Detroit River looking north]]
The Detroit River flows for {{convert|28|mi|km|lk=on|abbr=on}} from [[Lake St. Clair]] to [[Lake Erie]].<ref name="NHD">{{cite web |title=National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. |url=http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |archive-date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2011 |work=The National Map |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]}}</ref> By definition, this classifies it as both a [[river]] and a [[strait]] — a strait being a narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water,<ref>{{Cite web |publisher = [[Merriam–Webster]] |url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strait%5B3%5D |year = 2009 |title = Definition of strait (noun) |access-date = June 16, 2009 }}</ref> which is how the river earned its name from early French settlers.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher = [[Windsor Public Library]] |url = http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Folklore/english/intro/francophonese.htm |year = 2004 |title = Who are the Detroit River French? |access-date = June 16, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090411104301/http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Folklore/english/intro/francophonese.htm |archive-date = April 11, 2009 }}</ref> However, today, the Detroit River is rarely referred to as a strait, because bodies of water referred to as straits are typically much wider relative to their length. The river forms the southern portion of the waterway connecting [[Lake Huron]] to the north and Lake Erie to the south, with other portions including the [[St. Clair River]] and [[Lake St. Clair]].

The Detroit River is only {{convert|0.5–2.5|mi|km|1}} wide. It begins with an east-to-west flow from Lake St. Clair, but curves and runs north to south. The deepest portion of the Detroit River is {{convert|53|ft|m|1}} in its northern portion. At its source, the river is at an elevation of {{convert|574|ft|m}} above sea level. The river is relatively level, dropping only {{Convert|3|feet|metres|1|}} before entering Lake Erie at {{convert|571|ft|m}}. As the river contains no [[dam]]s and no [[lock (water transport)|locks]], it is easily [[Navigability|navigable]] by even the smallest of vessels. The [[Drainage basin|watershed basin]] for the Detroit River is approximately {{convert|700|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="EPA">{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2009 |title=Detroit River Area of Concern |url=http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc/detroit.html |access-date=June 16, 2009 |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]}}</ref> 

Since the river is fairly short, it has few tributaries, the largest being the [[River Rouge (Michigan)|River Rouge]] in Michigan; this is four times longer than the Detroit River and contains most of the watershed. The only other major American tributary to the Detroit River is the much smaller [[Ecorse River]]. Tributaries on the Canadian side include Little River, Turkey Creek, and the [[River Canard, Ontario|River Canard]]. The [[Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] for the Detroit River is relatively high for a river of its size. The river's discharge averaged over the year is {{Convert|5300|m³/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}, and the river's flow is relatively constant.<ref>{{cite book |publisher = Environmental Protection Agency |url = http://www.epa.gov/ecopage/aquatic/lkstrugeon/index.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090525115501/http://www.epa.gov/ecopage/aquatic/lkstrugeon/index.html |archive-date = May 25, 2009 |title = Spawning by Lake Sturgeon (''Acipenser fulvescens'') in the Detroit River |first1 = N. M. |last1 = Caswell |first2 = D. L. |last2 = Peterson |first3 = B. A. |last3 = Manny |first4 = G. W. |last4 = Kennedy |id = Great Lakes Grant GL97505001‑1 |location = Washington, DC |date = August 2002 |page = 4 }}</ref>

The Detroit River forms a major element of the [[Canada–United States border|international border]] between the United States and Canada. The river on the American side is all under the jurisdiction of [[Wayne County, Michigan]], and the Canadian side is under the administration of [[Essex County, Ontario]]. The largest city along the Detroit River is [[Detroit]], and most of the population along the river lives in [[Michigan]]. The Detroit River has two automobile traffic crossings connecting the United States and Canada: the [[Ambassador Bridge]] and the [[Detroit–Windsor Tunnel]]. Both of these are strongly protected by the [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] and the [[Canada Border Services Agency]].

The upper portion of the river is one of the two places where a Canadian city lies directly south of an American city. In this case, the city of [[Detroit]] is directly north of the city of [[Windsor, Ontario]]. The only other location where this occurs is [[Fort Erie, Ontario]], which lies south of several cities in [[Niagara County, New York]]. The cities and communities southwest of Detroit along the American side of the river are popularly referred to as the [[Downriver]] area, because those areas are said to be "down the river" from Detroit. Several of these communities do not border the Detroit River but the term "Downriver" refers broadly to the cluster of 18 suburban communities that lie to the southwest of the city of Detroit and to the west of the Detroit River.
[[File:Lake st clair landsat.jpeg|thumb|Satellite photo showing [[Lake Saint Clair]] (center) with the Detroit River connecting it to [[Lake Erie]] (to the south) and the [[St. Clair River]] connecting it to [[Lake Huron]] (to the north).]]

===Islands===
{{Main|List of islands in the Detroit River}}
The Detroit River contains 31 charted islands.  The majority of the islands are located on the American side of the river.  Many of the islands are small and uninhabited, and none are divided by the international border, as the two countries do not share a land border along the river. [[Grosse Ile (Michigan)|Grosse Ile]] is the largest and most populated of all islands, and [[Fighting Island]] is the largest Canadian island.  Most islands are located in the southern portion of the river.