Editing St. Lawrence River

{{Short description|Major river in eastern Canada and the United States, flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox river
| name                = St. Lawrence River
| name_other          = Saint Lawrence River
| name_etymology      = [[Lawrence of Rome|Saint Lawrence of Rome]]
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image               = Le fleuve Saint-Laurent.jpg
| image_caption       = [[Montréal-Est]], [[Quebec]]
| image_size          = 
| map                 = Grlakes lawrence map.png
| map_size            = 
| map_caption         = Great Lakes/St. Lawrence watershed
| pushpin_map         = 
| pushpin_map_size    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1   = Country
| subdivision_name1   = Canada, United States
| subdivision_type2   = Provinces
| subdivision_name2   = [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]]
| subdivision_type3   = State
| subdivision_name3   = [[New York (state)|New York]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length              = {{convert|500|km|mi|abbr=on}} excluding the estuary. C. 928 km if included.
([[St. Lawrence River]]–[[Lake Ontario]]–[[Niagara River|Niagara]]–[[Lake Erie]]–[[Detroit River|Detroit]]–[[Lake St. Clair]]–[[St. Clair River|St. Clair]]–[[Lake Huron]]–[[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Marys River]]–[[Lake Superior]]–[[Saint Louis River (Lake Superior tributary)|St. Louis]]–[[North River (Minnesota)|North River]]: 3,058 km)<ref name="St. Lawrence River and Seaway">{{cite web|url=https://www.glc.org/lakes/st-lawrence|title=St. Lawrence River and Seaway}}</ref><ref name="St. Lawrence River">{{cite web|url=https://greatlakes.guide/watersheds/st-lawrence|title=St. Lawrence River}}</ref>
| width_min           = 
| width_avg           ={{cvt|1-5|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="The St. Lawrence">{{cite web|url=https://www.planstlaurent.qc.ca/en/st-lawrence-river|title=The St. Lawrence}}</ref> 
| width_max           = 
| depth_min           ={{cvt|2|m|abbr=on}} (Fluvial Section)<ref name="The St. Lawrence">{{cite web|url=https://www.planstlaurent.qc.ca/en/st-lawrence-river|title=The St. Lawrence}}</ref>
| depth_avg           = 
| depth_max           ={{cvt|60|m|abbr=on}} ([[Quebec City]])<ref name="The St. Lawrence">{{cite web|url=https://www.planstlaurent.qc.ca/en/st-lawrence-river|title=The St. Lawrence}}</ref> 
| discharge2_location = [[Tadoussac]]
| discharge1_location =[[Estuary of St. Lawrence|Pointe-des-Monts]]
| discharge1_min      ={{cvt|10,478|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
| discharge1_avg      =(Period: 1969–2023){{cvt|17,600|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
| discharge1_max      ={{cvt|33,085|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref> 
| discharge2_avg      =(Period: 1962–1988){{convert|16,800|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="BenkeCushing2005"/> 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1             = [[Lake Ontario]]
| source1_location    = [[Kingston, Ontario]] / [[Cape Vincent, New York]]
| source1_coordinates = {{coord|44|06|N|76|24|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation   = {{convert|74.7|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth               = [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] / [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| mouth_location      = [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
| mouth_coordinates   = {{coord|49|30|N|64|30|W|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation     = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
| progression         = [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]]
| river_system        = [[St. Lawrence River]]
| basin_size          = {{convert|1,344,200|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name=Atlas>{{cite web |publisher=[[Natural Resources Canada]] |work=Atlas of Canada |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html |title=Rivers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122002203/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html |archive-date=2013-01-22}}</ref>
([[Estuary of St. Lawrence|Pointe-des-Monts]]: 1,271,547.4 km<sup>2</sup>)<ref name="St Lawrence-Great Lakes">{{cite web|url=https://www.riversnetwork.org/V1/index.php/component/content/?view=article&id=143&catid=316&Itemid=179|title=St Lawrence-Great Lakes}}</ref>
| tributaries_left    = 
| tributaries_right   = 
| custom_label        = 
| custom_data         = 
| extra               = 
|discharge3_location=[[Quebec City]]
|discharge3_min={{cvt|8,600|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
|discharge3_avg=(Period: 1968–2023){{convert|12,500|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
|discharge3_max={{cvt|22,766|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
|discharge4_location=[[Montreal]]
|discharge4_avg=(Period: 1971–2000){{convert|10,063.3|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="St Lawrence-Great Lakes">{{cite web|url=https://www.riversnetwork.org/V1/index.php/component/content/?view=article&id=143&catid=316&Itemid=179|title=St Lawrence-Great Lakes}}</ref>
|discharge5_location=[[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]]
|discharge5_avg=(1861–2019){{convert|7,060|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>}}{{St. Lawrence River map}}

The '''St. Lawrence River''' ({{langx|fr|Fleuve Saint-Laurent}}, {{IPA|fr|flœv sɛ̃ lɔʁɑ̃|pron}}) is a large international [[river]] in the middle [[latitude]]s of [[North America]] connecting the [[Great Lakes]] to the [[North]] [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from [[Lake Ontario]] to the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]], traversing [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]] in Canada and [[New York (state)|New York]] in the United States. A section of the river demarcates the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–U.S. border]].

As the primary [[Discharge (hydrology)|drainage outflow]] of the [[Great Lakes Basin]], the St. Lawrence has the [[List of rivers by discharge|second-highest discharge]] of any [[river]] in [[North America]] (after the [[Mississippi River]]) and the 16th-highest in the world. The [[estuary of St. Lawrence|estuary of the St. Lawrence]] is often cited by scientists as the largest in the world. Significant natural landmarks of the river and estuary include the 1,864 river islands of the [[Thousand Islands]], the endangered whales of [[Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park]], and the limestone monoliths of the [[Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve|Mingan Archipelago]].

Long a transportation route to [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]], the St. Lawrence River has played a key role in the [[history of Canada]] and in the development of cities such as [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]]. The river remains an important shipping route as the backbone of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]], a lock and canal system that enables world marine traffic to access the inland ports of the [[Great Lakes Waterway]].

==Etymology==
The river has historically been given a variety of different names by local [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]]. Beginning in the 16th century, French explorers visited what is now Canada and gave the river names such as the ''Grand fleuve de [[Hochelaga (village)|Hochelaga]]'' and the ''Grande rivière du Canada'',<ref name="topo"/> where ''fleuve'' and ''rivière'' are two [[French language|French]] words (''fleuve'' being a river that flows into the sea).

The river's present name has been used since 1604 when it was recorded on a map by [[Samuel de Champlain]].<ref name="topo">{{cite web |title=Fleuve Saint-Laurent |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=121375 |website=Commission de toponymie Québec |publisher=Gouvernement du Québec |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> Champlain opted for the names ''Grande riviere de sainct Laurens'' and ''Fleuve sainct Laurens'' in his writings, supplanting the earlier names.<ref name="topo"/> In contemporary French, the name is rendered as the ''fleuve Saint-Laurent''. The name ''Saint-Laurent'' (Saint Lawrence) was originally applied to the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence|eponymous bay]] by [[Jacques Cartier]] upon his arrival into the region on the 10th of August [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] for [[Saint Lawrence]] in 1535.<ref name="topo"/>

[[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous people]] use the following names:
*[[Innu-aimun]], the language of [[Nitassinan]], refer to it as ''Wepistukujaw Sipo''/''Wepìstùkwiyaht sīpu''.<ref name="topo"/><ref name="Lozier">{{cite book |last1=Lozier |first1=Jean-François |title=Flesh Reborn: The Saint Lawrence Valley Mission Settlements through the Seventeenth Century |date=2018 |publisher=McGill-Queens University Press |location=Montréal |page=306 |isbn=9780773553989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKxuDwAAQBAJ&dq=Moliantegok+meaning&pg=PA306 |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref>
*the [[Abenaki]] call it ''Moliantegok''/''Moliantekw'' ("Montréal River"),<ref name="topo"/> ''Kchitegw''/''Ktsitekw''/''Gicitegw'' ("Great River"),<ref name="Lozier"/> or ''Oss8genaizibo''/''Ws8genaisibo''/''Wsogenaisibo'' ("River of the Algonquins").<ref name="Lozier"/>
*in [[Mohawk language]] it is ''Roiatatokenti'', ''Raoteniateara'',<ref name="topo"/> ''Ken’tarókwen'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doolittle |first1=Benjamin |title=St. Lawrence (Upper river) |url=https://kanienkeha.net/places/lakes-and-rivers/ken-tarokwen/ |website=Kanienʼkéha Dictionary |date=25 August 2016 |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> or ''Kaniatarowanénhne''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doolittle |first1=Benjamin |title=St. Lawrence, USA & CA |url=https://kanienkeha.net/places/lakes-and-rivers/kaniatarowanenhne/ |website=Kanienʼkéha Dictionary |date=25 August 2016 |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref>
*[[Tuscarora people]] call it ''Kahnawáˀkye'' or ''Kaniatarowanenneh'' ("Big Water Current").<ref>Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999</ref>
*[[Algonquin people]] call it "the Walking Path" or ''Magtogoek'',<ref name="topo"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Toussaint |first1=Jean-Patrick |title=Il était une fois un fleuve... et nous. |url=https://www.sciencepresse.qc.ca/blogue/2014/06/17/etait-fois-fleuve-nous |website=Agence Science-Presse |language=fr |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> or ''Kitcikanii sipi'', the "Large Water River".<ref name="Lozier"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cuoq |first1=Jean André |title=Lexique de la langue algonquine |date=1886 |publisher=J. Chapleau |location=Montréal |url=https://archive.org/details/lexiquedelalang00cuoq |access-date=28 December 2021 |language=fr}}</ref>
*the [[Huron-Wendat Nation]] call it ''Lada8anna'' or ''Laooendaooena'''.<ref name="Lozier"/>
*the [[Atikamekw]] of [[Nitaskinan]] refer to it as ''[[:atj:Micta sipi|Micta sipi]]'' ("Huge River").

==Geography==
[[File:000730 15a 3545 2367 fleuve I Orleans.jpg|thumb|Boats of the [[Transat Québec–Saint-Malo]] on the St. Lawrence River in 2000]]
[[File:Ile St Quentin 021.jpg|thumb|Cross commemorating the one laid by [[Jacques Cartier|Jacques-Cartier]] on October 7, 1535, [[Trois-Rivières]]]]
[[File:Champlain Sea 1.png|thumb|The Champlain Sea]]

===Marine weather===
In winter, the St. Lawrence River begins producing ice in December between [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]]. The prevailing winds and currents push this ice towards the estuary,<ref name="Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence - Fisheries and Oceans Canada">{{cite web |title=Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence |url=https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/planning-planification/areas-aires/estuary-gulf-st-lawrence-estuaire-golfe-saint-laurent-eng.html |website=Gouvernement of Canada |publisher=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |access-date=19 February 2024 |date=2023-01-27 |quote=The area represents one of the largest and most productive estuarine/marine ecosystems in Canada and in the world.}}</ref> and it reaches the east of [[Les Méchins]] at the end of December. Ice covers the entire [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] in January and February.

Ice helps navigation by preventing the formation of waves, and therefore spray, and prevents the icing of ships.<ref name="The secrets of the Saint-Laurent, marine weather guide">{{cite web |author1=Guy  O'Bonsawin |title=The secrets of the Saint-Laurent, marine weather guide |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/eccc/En56-87-1992-eng.pdf |publisher=Environnement Canada |access-date=15 October 2024 |pages=89, 90 of 100 |language=fr |date=3 April 2013 |quote=If you consider that both water and air masses literally hug the ground and follow all its contours and surfaces, it's easy to understand just how much variety there can be in wind and sea conditions.}}</ref>

===Watershed===
With the draining of the [[Champlain Sea]], due to a rebounding continent from the [[Last Glacial Maximum]], the St. Lawrence River was formed. The Champlain Sea lasted from about 13,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago and was continuously shrinking during that time, a process that continues today.<ref>[http://www.lcbp.org/Atlas/HTML/nat_geology.htm Lake Champlain Basin Atlas: Geology Page] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720120640/http://www.lcbp.org/Atlas/HTML/nat_geology.htm |date=20 July 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Miller2015">{{cite book|first=William J.|last=Miller|title=Geology: The Science of the Earth's Crust (Illustrations)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XwWYBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT37|year=2015|publisher=P. F. Collier & Son Company|page=37|id=GGKEY:Y3TD08H3RAT}}</ref> The head of the St. Lawrence River, near [[Lake Ontario]], is home to the [[Thousand Islands]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Lawrence River Ecosystem |url=https://www.savetheriver.org/river-info/ecosystem/ |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=Save The River! Thousand Islands - Clayton NY on the St. Lawrence River |language=en}}</ref>

Today, the St. Lawrence River begins at the outflow of Lake Ontario and flows adjacent to [[Cape Vincent (village), New York|Cape Vincent]], [[Gananoque, Ontario|Gananoque]], [[Clayton, New York|Clayton]], [[Alexandria Bay, New York|Alexandria Bay]], [[Brockville]], [[Morristown, New York|Morristown]], [[Ogdensburg, New York|Ogdensburg]], [[Massena (village), New York|Massena]], [[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]], [[Montreal]], [[Trois-Rivières]], and [[Quebec City]] before draining into the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]], often given as the largest [[estuary]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Estuary - National Geographic Society |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/estuary |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=nationalgeographic.org}}</ref> The estuary begins at the eastern tip of [[Île d'Orléans]], just downstream from Quebec City.<ref name="BenkeCushing2005">{{cite book|last1=Benke|first1=Arthur C.|last2=Cushing|first2=Colbert E.|title=Rivers of North America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=faOU1wkiYFIC&pg=PA989|year=2005|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-12-088253-3|pages=989–990}}</ref> The river becomes [[tide|tidal]] around Quebec City.<ref name="Dawson2007">{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=Samuel Edward|title=The Saint Lawrence: Its Basin and Border-lands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-LZjcqnPtEC&pg=PR36|access-date=21 March 2011|date=October 2007|publisher=Heritage Books|isbn=978-0-7884-2252-2|page=36}}</ref>

The St. Lawrence River runs {{convert|3058|km|mi|sigfig=4|lk=on}} from the farthest headwater to the mouth and {{convert|1197|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} from the outflow of Lake Ontario. These numbers include the estuary; without the estuary, the length from Lake Ontario is c. 500&nbsp;km (c. 300&nbsp;mi). The farthest headwater is the [[North River (Minnesota)|North River]] in the [[Mesabi Range]] at [[Hibbing]], Minnesota. Its drainage area, which includes the Great Lakes, the world's largest system of freshwater lakes, is {{convert|1344200|km2|sqmi|1|sigfig=5}}, of which {{convert|839200|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on|sigfig=4}} is in Canada and {{convert|505000|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on|sigfig=4}} is in the United States. The basin covers parts of [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]] in Canada, parts of [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Vermont]], and nearly the entirety of the state of [[Michigan]] in the United States. The average discharge below the [[Saguenay River]] is {{convert|16800|m3/s|cuft/s}}. At Quebec City, it is {{convert|12101|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}. The average discharge at the river's source, the outflow of Lake Ontario, is {{convert|7410|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}.<ref name="BenkeCushing2005"/>

The St. Lawrence River includes [[Lake Saint Francis (Canada)|Lake Saint Francis]] at [[Salaberry-de-Valleyfield]], [[Lake Saint-Louis]] south of Montreal and [[Lake Saint Pierre]] east of Montreal. It encompasses four [[archipelago]]es: the [[Thousand Islands]] chain near [[Alexandria Bay, New York]] and [[Kingston, Ontario]]; the [[Hochelaga Archipelago]], including the [[Island of Montreal]] and [[Île Jésus]] ([[Laval, Quebec|Laval]]); the Lake St.&nbsp;Pierre Archipelago (classified a biosphere world reserve by the UNESCO in 2000)<ref>[http://www.pleinairalacarte.com/qc/monteregie/lac-saint-pierre-et-son-archipel.html Lac Saint-Pierre et son archipel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402102145/http://www.pleinairalacarte.com/qc/monteregie/lac-saint-pierre-et-son-archipel.html |date=2 April 2015 }}. Pleinairalacarte.com (2008-11-07). Retrieved 2013-07-12.</ref> and the smaller [[Mingan Archipelago]]. Other islands include Île d'Orléans near Quebec City and [[Anticosti Island]] north of the [[Gaspé Peninsula|Gaspé]]. It is the second longest river in Canada.

[[Lake Champlain]] and the [[Ottawa River|Ottawa]], [[Richelieu River|Richelieu]], [[Saint-Maurice River|Saint-Maurice]], [[Saint-Francois River|Saint-François]], [[Chaudière River|Chaudière]] and Saguenay rivers drain into the St. Lawrence.

The St. Lawrence River is in a seismically active zone where [[fault (geology)|fault]] reactivation is believed to occur along late [[Proterozoic]] to early [[Paleozoic]] normal faults related to the opening of the [[Iapetus Ocean]]. The faults in the area are [[rift]]-related and comprise the [[Saint Lawrence rift system]].

According to the United States Geological Survey, the St. Lawrence Valley is a [[Physiographic regions of the world|physiographic province]] of the larger [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] division, containing the [[Champlain Valley|Champlain]] section.<ref name="USGS-Water">{{cite web | title = Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U.S. | publisher = U.S. Geological Survey | url = http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml | access-date = 2007-12-06 }}</ref> However, in Canada, where most of the valley is, it is instead considered part of a distinct [[St. Lawrence Lowlands]] physiographic division, and not part of the Appalachian division.<ref>{{cite web|title=Physiographic Regions of Canada|url=http://ftp.geogratis.gc.ca/pub/nrcan_rncan/raster/atlas_6_ed/reference/eng/physiographic_eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021222228/http://ftp.geogratis.gc.ca/pub/nrcan_rncan/raster/atlas_6_ed/reference/eng/physiographic_eng.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-21 |url-status=live|website=Natural Resources Canada|publisher=Natural Resources Canada|access-date=18 February 2017}}</ref>

===Sources===

The source of the North River in the [[Mesabi Range]] in [[Minnesota]] (Seven Beaver Lake) is considered to be the source of the St. Lawrence River. Because it crosses so many lakes, the water system frequently changes its name. From source to mouth, the names are:
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[North River (Minnesota)|North River]]<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Saint Lawrence River and Seaway | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/517561/Saint-Lawrence-River | access-date = 2009-09-07 }}</ref>
* [[Saint Louis River (Lake Superior tributary)|Saint Louis River]]<ref name="Encarta">{{cite web | title = Saint Lawrence | publisher = MSN Encarta | url = http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570826/st_lawrence.html | access-date = 2009-09-07 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080706103328/http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570826/St_Lawrence.html | archive-date = 6 July 2008}}</ref>
* [[Lake Superior]]
* [[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Marys River]]
* [[Lake Huron]]
* [[St. Clair River]]
* [[Lake St. Clair]]
* [[Detroit River]]
* [[Lake Erie]]
* [[Niagara River]]
* [[Lake Ontario]]
}}

The St. Lawrence River also passes through [[Lake Saint-Louis]] and [[Lake Saint-Pierre]] in Quebec.

{{wide image|Pont de l'ile 2.JPG|1024px|Looking downstream: [[Quebec City]] (left), St. Lawrence River, [[Île d'Orléans]] (center), [[Lévis]] (right), [[Laurentian Mountains]] (background).|border=no}}

==Tributaries==

The St. Lawrence River and the largest tributaries of the [[Great Lakes]].

The St. Lawrence River tributaries are listed upstream from the mouth. The major tributaries of the inter-lake sections are also shown, as well as the major rivers that flow into the Great Lakes. Great Lakes tributaries are listed in alphabetical order. 

The list includes all tributaries with a [[Drainage basin|drainage area]] of at least 1,000 square kilometres and an average flow of more than 10 cubic metres per second.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
   ! Left
tributary
   ! Right tributary
   ! Length (km)
   ! Basin size (km<sup>2</sup>)
   ! Average discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
|-
| colspan="5" |St. Lawrence River
|-
|[[Godbout River|Godbout]]
| rowspan="3" |
|112
|1,930.1
|44.4
|-
|[[Franquelin River|Frankquelin]]
|67.5
|582.9
|12.1
|-
|[[Manicouagan River|Manicouagan]]
|221
|45,908
|1,020
|-
|[[Rivière aux Outardes (North Shore)|Outardes]]
|
|499
|19,057
|400
|-
|
|[[Mitis River|Mitis]]
|51
|1,806.4
|37
|-
|[[Betsiamites River|Betsiamites]]
| rowspan="3" |
|444
|18,984.1
|366.7
|-
|[[Laval River|Laval]]
|42
|641.6
|13
|-
|[[Rivière du Sault aux Cochons]]
|128
|1,946
|38.7
|-
|
|[[Rimouski River|Rimouski]]
|119.2
|1,635
|30.8
|-
|[[Portneuf River (Capitale-Nationale)|Portneuf]]
| rowspan="2" |
|55
|2,457.6
|52.3
|-
|Rivière des Escoumins
|84
|810.5
|17.5
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|[[Trois Pistoles River|Rivière des Trois-Pistoles]]
|43
|966
|18.4
|-
|[[Verte River (Sainte-Anne River tributary)|Verte]]
|
|507.9
|10.2
|-
|[[Saguenay River|Saguenay]]
|
|170
|87,635.4
|1,893.9
|-
|
|[[Rivière du Loup (Bas-Saint-Laurent)|Rivière du Loup]]
|101.3
|1,059
|18.5
|-
|[[Malbaie River|Malbaie]]
|
|161
|1,861.1
|39.1
|-
|
|[[Ouelle River|Rivière-Ouelle]]
|73.4
|850.6
|16.8
|-
|[[Rivière du Gouffre]]
|
|76.1
|1,010.1
|23.5
|-
|
|[[Rivière du Sud (Montmagny)|Montmagny]] (Rivière du Sud)
|86.5
|1,994.6
|46.7
|-
|[[Sainte-Anne River (Beaupré)|Sainte-Anne]]
| rowspan="3" |
|97
|1,077
|31.5
|-
|[[Montmorency River|Montmorency]]
|103.7
|1,157.6
|35.6
|-
|[[Saint-Charles River (Quebec City)|Saint-Charles]]
|25
|483.4
|13.6
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|[[Etchemin River|Etchemin]]
|124
|1,443.4
|34.5
|-
|[[Chaudière River|Chaudière]]
|185
|6,682
|146.4
|-
|[[Jacques-Cartier River|Jacques-Cartier]]
|
|178
|2,515
|71.3
|-
|
|[[Rivière du Chêne]]
|80.6
|855.9
|21.1
|-
|[[Sainte-Anne River (Les Chenaux)|Sainte-Anne]]
| rowspan="2" |
|123
|2,753.3
|73.4
|-
|[[Batiscan River|Batiscan]]
|196
|4,690
|107.1
|-
|
|[[Bécancour River|Bécancour]]
|210
|2,607
|63.2
|-
|[[Saint-Maurice River|Saint-Maurice]]
|
|563
|41,994.3
|730
|-
|
|[[Nicolet River|Nicolet]]
|137
|3,380
|77.8
|-
|Rivière du Loup
|
|102
|1,642.9
|27.8
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|[[Saint-François River|Saint François]]
|218
|10,230
|237.8
|-
|[[Yamaska River|Yamaska]]
|160
|4,784
|110.1
|-
|[[Maskinongé River|Maskinongé]]
|
|40
|1,205.7
|21.3
|-
|
|[[Richelieu River|Richelieu]]
|124
|23,717.7
|455.8
|-
|[[L'Assomption River|L'Assomption]]
| rowspan="3" |
|200
|4,220
|78.6
|-
|[[Ottawa River|Ottawa]]
|1,271
|147,405.8
|1,948.8
|-
|[[Châteauguay River|Châteauguay]]
|121
|2,466.7
|43.8
|-
| rowspan="5" |
|[[Rivière aux Saumons (Massawippi River tributary)|Rivière aux Saumons]]
|70.6
|1,065.2
|20.2
|-
|[[St. Regis River]]
|138
|2,219.6
|44
|-
|[[Raquette River|Raquette]]
|235
|3,250
|74.4
|-
|[[Grasse River|Grasse]]
|117
|1,657.9
|32.9
|-
|[[Oswegatchie River|Oswegatchie]]
|220
|4,120
|88.3
|-
|[[Gananoque River|Gananoque]]
|
|
|909.5
|12.2
|-
| colspan="5" |Niagara
|-
|
|[[Tonawanda Creek]]
|140
|1,700
|27.2
|-
| colspan="5" |Detroit
|-
|
|[[Rouge River (Ontario)|Rouge]]
|204
|1,580
|10.7
|-
| colspan="5" |St. Clair River
|-
|[[Sydenham River (Lake St. Clair)|Sydenham]]
|
|165
|2,727.6
|14.3
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|[[Belle River (Michigan)|Belle]]
|118.3
|556.4
|4.4
|-
|[[Black River (St. Clair River tributary)|Black]]
|130.4
|1,821.9
|9.2
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[Great Lakes]]'''
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake Ontario]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Black River (New York)|Black]]
|201
|4,964.8
|159.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Credit River (Ontario)|Credit]]
|90
|1,000
|8.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Genesee River|Genesee]]
|253
|6,507.7
|107.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Humber River (Ontario)|Humber]]
|100
|1,008.4
|7.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Moira River|Moira]]
|98
|2,736
|32.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Napanee River|Napanee]]
|60
|1,099.2
|12.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Niagara River|Niagara]]
|58
|682,350.9
|5,885
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Oak Orchard Creek|Oak Orchard]]
|95.2
|804.3
|13
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Oswego River (New York)|Oswego]]
|38
|13,266
|255
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Salmon River (Ontario)|Salmon]]
|135
|1,534
|18.2
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Salmon River (New York)|Salmon]]
|71
|820.5
|21.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[South Sandy Creek|Sandy Creek]]
|53
|501.9
|11
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Trent River (Ontario)|Trent]]
|90
|13,014.7
|154.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Welland River|Welland]]
|140
|1,136.4
|8.7
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake Erie]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Black River (Ohio)|Black]]
|68
|1,217
|9.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Buffalo River (New York)|Buffalo]]
|13
|1,186.4
|17.4
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Cattaraugus Creek]]
|109
|1,510.1
|24
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Cuyahoga River|Cuyahoga]]
|136.6
|2,377.6
|29
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Detroit River|Detroit]]
|45
|595,052
|5,300
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand]]
|280
|6,763.8
|45
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Grand River (Ohio)|Grand]]
|165.3
|1,873.6
|23.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Huron River|Huron]]
|210
|2,145.2
|20.4
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Huron River (Ohio)|Huron]]
|24
|1,055.6
|8.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Maumee River|Maumee]]
|220
|16,460
|164.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Portage River (Ohio)|Portage]]
|66.8
|1,574.6
|11.3
|-
| colspan="2" |[[River Raisin|Raisin]]
|224
|2,780
|22.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sandusky River|Sandusky]]
|214
|3,262.1
|26.1
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake St. Clair]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Clinton River (Michigan)|Clinton]]
|134
|1,970.9
|19.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[St. Clair River]]
|65.2
|583,508.7
|5,200
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames]]
|273
|5,825
|52.9
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake Huron]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Au Gres River|Au Gres]]
|75.2
|1,262
|7.2
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable]]
|222
|5,468.5
|36.4
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Ausable River (Lake Huron)|Ausable]]
|64
|1,142
|8.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Cheboygan River|Cheboygan]]
|61
|3,880.1
|32.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[French River (Ontario)|French]]
|110
|19,100
|207
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Garden River (Ontario)|Garden]]
|
|1,061.7
|14.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Magnetawan River|Magnetawan]]
|175
|3,041.9
|24.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Maitland River|Maitland]]
|150
|2,592
|21.4
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Mississagi River|Mississagi]]
|266
|9,270
|118
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Musquash River (Ontario)|Musquash]]
|29
|4,591.7
|43.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Nottawasaga River|Nottawasaga]]
|120
|3,082.4
|18.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Saginaw River|Saginaw]]–[[Shiawassee River|Shiawassee]]
|216
|15,525.6
|136.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario)|St. Marys River]]
|119.9
|211,833.3
|2,135
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sauble River (Ontario)|Sauble]]
|
|1,109.7
|7.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Saugeen River|Saugeen]]
|160
|4,120
|81.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Seguin River|Seguin]]
|40
|1,023
|9.7
|-
| colspan="2" |Serpent
|
|1,495
|10.2
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Severn River (Georgian Bay)|Severn]]
|30
|6,039.2
|56.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Spanish River (Ontario)|Spanish]]
|338
|13,368.3
|150
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Thessalon]]
|
|1,125.4
|8.3
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Thunder Bay River|Thunder Bay]]
|121.3
|3,382.1
|19.2
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Whitefish River (Sudbury District)|Whitefish]]
|
|1,318.9
|7.2
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake Michigan]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[East Arm Little Calumet River|Burns Waterway]]
|35.6
|1,033.2
|8.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Calumet River|Calumet]]
|66
|1,183.8
|10
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Cedar River (Menominee County, Michigan)|Cedar]]
|108
|1,158.3
|6.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed|Elk]]
|121
|1,379.5
|12.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Escanaba River|Escanaba]]
|84
|2,390
|28.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Ford River (Michigan)|Ford]]
|174
|1,414.7
|10.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Fox River (Green Bay tributary)|Fox]]
|320
|16,650
|143.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand]]
|406
|15,206.6
|143
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Kalamazoo River|Kalamazoo]]
|210
|5,230
|52.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Manistee River|Manistee]]
|310
|4,600
|47.5
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Manistique River|Manistique]]
|114.6
|3,780
|52.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Manitowoc River|Manitowac]]
|57.6
|1,552.4
|10.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Menomonee River|Menomonee]]
|187
|10,569
|99.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Milwaukee River|Milwaukee]]
|167
|2,271.5
|17.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Muskegon River|Muskegon]]
|348
|7,029.8
|60.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Oconto River|Oconto]]
|91.6
|2,474.9
|19.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Pere Marquette River|Pere Marquette]]
|102.8
|2,074.6
|18
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Peshtigo River|Peshtigo]]
|219
|2,856.3
|21.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sheboygan River|Shebaygan]]
|130
|1,226
|8.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)|St. Joseph River]]
|340
|12,130
|142.2
|-
| colspan="2" |[[White River (White Lake)|White]]
|38
|1,458
|13
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Lake Superior]]
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Agawa River|Agawa]]
|102
|1,057.8
|29.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Aguasabon River|Aguasabon]]
|70
|964.3
|16.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Bad River (Wisconsin)|Bad]]
|119.6
|2,659.8
|44.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Batchawana River|Batchawana]]
|95
|1,396.1
|36.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Black River (Gogebic County)|Black]]
|66.1
|724.3
|15.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Black Sturgeon River (Thunder Bay District)|Black Sturgeon]]
|72
|2,815.6
|43.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Brule River (Minnesota)|Brule]]
|65
|699.7
|10
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Chippewa River (Ontario)|Chipewa]]
|40
|920.9
|22.4
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Dog River (Ontario)|Dog]]
|50.9
|1,333.5
|28
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Goulais River|Goulais]]
|70
|2,071
|42.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Gravel River (Quebec)|Gravel]]
|
|700.1
|12.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Kaministiquia River|Kaministiquia]]
|95
|7,903.1
|99.4
|-
| colspan="2" |Little Pic
|
|1,459.1
|21
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Magpie River (Ontario)|Magpie]]–[[Michipicoten River|Michipicoten]]
|81
|7,446.7
|145.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Montreal River (Algoma–Sudbury, Ontario)|Montreal]]
|130
|3,452
|84
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Montreal River (Wisconsin–Michigan)|Montreal]]
|76.9
|861.9
|12.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Nemadji River|Nemadji]]
|113.9
|1,158.4
|18.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Nipigon River|Nipigon]]
|48
|25,645.4
|383.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Old Woman River (Ontario)|Old Woman]]
|
|558.8
|10.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Ontonagon River|Ontonagon]]
|40
|3,720.2
|75.8
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Pic River|Pic]]
|188
|6,430
|109.9
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Pigeon River (Minnesota–Ontario)|Pigeon]]
|80
|1,610.6
|25.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Presque Isle River|Presque Isle]]
|67.8
|1,088.9
|20.3
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Pukaskwa River|Pukaskwa]]
|80
|1,308.3
|24.6
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Saint Louis River (Lake Superior tributary)|Saint Louis]]
|309
|9,410
|146.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sand River (Ontario)|Sand]]
|56
|537.7
|13
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Steel River (Ontario)|Steel]]
|170
|1,298.8
|18.3
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sturgeon River (Houghton County, Michigan)|Sturgeon]]
|171
|1,892.2
|43.1
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Tahquamenon River|Tahquamenon]]
|143.4
|2,258
|46.3
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Two Hearted River|Two Hearted]]
|38
|575
|11.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[White River (Ontario)|White]]
|140
|5,228.3
|95.7
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Wolf River (Thunder Bay District)|Wolf]]
|
|650.2
|10
|-
| colspan="5" |Source <ref name="St Lawrence-Great Lakes">{{cite web|url=https://www.riversnetwork.org/V1/index.php/component/content/?view=article&id=143&catid=316&Itemid=179|title=St Lawrence-Great Lakes}}</ref>
|}

==Discharge==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
   ! rowspan="2" |Year
! colspan="2" |Average discharge<ref name="Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023">{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.938387/publication.html?wbdisable=true|title=Physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[Quebec City]]
! [[Estuary of St. Lawrence|Pointe-des-Monts]]
|-
|2007
|{{cvt|10,967|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|16,600|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2008
|{{cvt|12,550|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|18,100|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2009
|{{cvt|12,166|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|17,227|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2010
|{{cvt|11,691|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|16,187|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2011
|{{cvt|13,221|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|18,616|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2012
|{{cvt|11,291|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|16,704|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2013
|{{cvt|12,090|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|17,098|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2014
|{{cvt|12,563|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|18,059|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2015
|{{cvt|11,425|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|17,310|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2016
|{{cvt|12,411|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|17,563|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2017
|{{cvt|14,309|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|19,213|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2018
|{{cvt|13,220|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|16,884|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2019
|{{cvt|15,154|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|21,004|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2020
|{{cvt|14,113|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|18,996|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2021
|{{cvt|11,344|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|16,093|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2022
|{{cvt|13,135|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|17,902|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|-
|2023
|{{cvt|13,560|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|18,799|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
|}

==Biodiversity==
The diversity of the St. Lawrence River includes:<ref name="The St. Lawrence, this great river that flows within us (David Suzuki Foundation)">{{cite web |title=The St. Lawrence, this great river that flows within us (David Suzuki Foundation) |url=https://fr.davidsuzuki.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/03/Carte-du-St-Laurent_6.pdf |website=Wild nature in the heart of Quebec and America |publisher=Fondation David Suzuki |access-date=1 September 2024 |language=fr |date=7 June 2023 |quote=... colossal reserve of resources natural and landscape matrix grandiose, the St. Lawrence is first and above all a source of life, a life astonishing diversity}}</ref>
* 19 species of [[marine mammal]]s
* More than 230 species of [[bird]]s
* Nearly 35 species of [[amphibian]]s and [[reptile]]s
* 200 species of freshwater and saltwater fish (including 19 [[shark]]s and rays)
* 2200 [[invertebrate]]s in the [[Estuary of St. Lawrence|estuary]] and its [[Gulf of St. Lawrence|gulf]] ([[sponge]]s, [[jellyfish]], [[coral]]s, [[crustacean]]s, etc.)
* Nearly 2000 [[vascular plants]]<ref name="Flore laurentienne">{{cite web |author1=Frère Marie-Victorin |title=Flore laurentienne |url=https://florelaurentienne.com/ |publisher=florelaurentienne.com |access-date=1 September 2024 |language=fr |date=1935 |quote=inventory of natural vascular plant resources valley of the great Saint Lawrence River - Quebec}}</ref>

===Marine mammals===
[[File:Whale watching Tadoussac 11.jpg|thumb|[[fin whales]] off [[Tadoussac]]]]

Large [[marine mammal]]s travel in all the seas of the earth, the research and observations of these giants concern [[Fisherman|fishermen]] and [[Maritime transport|shipping industry]], exercise a fascination and a keen interest for laymen and, subjects of endless studies for scientists from Quebec, Canada and around the world.<ref name="Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park">{{cite web |title=Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park |url=https://parcmarin.qc.ca/home/ |publisher=Government Quebec - Government of Canada |access-date=19 August 2024 |date=2024 |quote=More than 2,200 species frequent these waters, including species at risk such as the beluga whale, the blue whale and the Barrow’s goldeneye.}}</ref><ref name="Cetaceans of the World">{{cite web |title=International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) |url=https://savedolphins.eii.org/about |publisher=Earth Island Institute |access-date=19 August 2024 |date=2024 |quote=We have achieved victories for marine mammals around the world and work to make the oceans safe for whales, dolphins and marine life.}}</ref><ref name="Right Whales: A Look Back on the Summer of 2017">{{cite web |author1=Stéphane Plourde |title=Right Whales: A Look Back on the Summer of 2017 |url=https://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/en/infocean/special-brief-1st-section-right-whales-look-back-summer-2017 |website=Gouvernement of Canada |publisher=InfoOceans - New wave |access-date=19 August 2024 |date=7 November 2017 |quote=The North Atlantic right whale is an endangered species - Over the coming months, the Government of Canada will meet with representatives of the fishing and shipping industries, Aboriginal communities, whale experts and scientists, as well as the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).}}</ref>

Thirteen species of cetaceans frequent the waters of the [[Estuary of St. Lawrence|estuary]] and the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]]:<ref name="Whales Online, magazine and encyclopedia">{{cite web |title=The Species of the St. Lawrence |url=https://baleinesendirect.org/en/discover/the-species-of-the-st-lawrence/the-13-species/ |website=Whales Online, magazine and encyclopedia |publisher=Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) |access-date=10 August 2024 |date=July 2024 |quote=The different species of seals and whales are all mammal species. © GREMM}}</ref>
# [[Northern bottlenose whale]]
# [[Delphinapterus leucas]] (Beluga Whale)<ref name="Béluga - Delphinapterus leucas">{{cite web |author1=COSEPAC |title=Béluga - Delphinapterus leucas |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2021/eccc/CW69-14-703-2021-fra.pdf |publisher=Wildlife species; Biodiversity; Species at risk; beluga |access-date=29 August 2024 |pages=132 |date=27 May 2021 |quote=We fear that the increase in maritime traffic, facilitated by climate change, is modifying the nature of the acoustic environment of the population. This population can correspond, or almost corresponds, to the criteria of the category “species threatened »}}</ref><ref name="Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences">{{cite web |author1=V. Lesage |author2=M. C. S. Kingsley |title=Assessment of knowledge of the beluga population (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/mpo-dfo/Fs97-6-2041-fra.pdf |publisher=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |access-date=29 August 2024 |pages=54 |language=en, fr |date=1995 |quote=The population of St. Lawrence belugas is relatively sedentary given that the most distant seasonal areas are not separated only by a few hundred kilometers}}</ref>
# [[Sperm whale]]
# [[Atlantic white-sided dolphin]]
# [[White-beaked dolphin]]
# [[Orca]]
# [[Long-finned pilot whale]]
# [[Phocoena phocoena]] (Harbour Porpoise)
# [[North Atlantic right whale]]<ref name="A black whale in sight! Please call Marine Mammal Emergencies!">{{cite web |author1=Marie-Sophie Giroux |title=A black whale in sight! Please call Marine Mammal Emergencies! |url=https://baleinesendirect.org/une-baleine-noire-en-vue-merci-dappeler-urgences-mammiferes-marins/ |access-date=28 August 2024 |date=2024 |quote=Since 1998, several sightings of right whales have also been reported elsewhere in the St. Lawrence: Magdalen Islands, Baie des Chaleurs, Basse-Côte-Nord and the St. Lawrence estuary, in the Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park.}}</ref>
# [[Common minke whale]]
# [[Blue whale]]<ref name="Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)">{{cite web |title=Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) |url=https://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_blue_whale_e.pdf |website=Environment Canada - o Canadian Wildlife Service |publisher=Committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=22 August 2003 |quote=Today, the biggest threats for this species come from ship strikes, disturbance from increasing whale watch activity, entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution.}}</ref>
# [[Humpback whale]]
# [[Fin whale]]

==History==
[[File:Dauphin Map of Canada - circa 1543 - Project Gutenberg etext 20110.jpg|thumb|Reproduction of map of 1543 showing Cartier's discoveries (c. 1909)]]
[[File:Basques Newfoundland.gif|thumb|[[Basques|Basque]] settlements and sites dating from the 16th and 17th centuries]]
[[File:A bend in the St. Lawrence, Quebec (I0006891).tif|alt=The St. Lawrence River with land depicted on both sides. There is a canoe and a boat on the river and birds flying over the river.|thumb|Watercolour ({{Circa|1792}}) by [[Elizabeth Simcoe]] depicting a bend in the St. Lawrence River in Quebec]]

===First Nations===
Flowing through and adjacent to numerous [[Indigenous peoples of Canada|Indigenous]] homelands, the river was a primary thoroughfare for many peoples. Beginning in [[Dawnland]] at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the river borders [[Mi'kma'ki]]<ref name="Gaspe">{{cite web |title=Gespe'gewa'gi : Our District Territory |url=https://www.migmawei.ca/an/gespegewagi-district-territory/ |website=Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat |publisher=Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> in the South (what is today known as the [[Canadian Maritimes]]), and [[Nitassinan]] in the North, the national territory of the [[Innu people]].<ref>''[[Nitassinan: The Innu Struggle to Reclaim Their Homeland]]'', [[Douglas & McIntyre]], December 1991, 240pp, by [[Marie Wadden]], {{ISBN|978-1-55365-731-6}}, [http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/nitassinan (book link)] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130121161501/http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/nitassinan |date=2013-01-21 }}</ref> On the south shore beyond the [[Mi'kmaq people|Mi'kmaw]] district of [[Gaspé Peninsula|Gespe'gewa'ki]],<ref name="Gaspe"/> the river passes Wolastokuk (the [[Maliseet]] homeland), Pαnawαhpskewahki (the [[Penobscot]] homeland), and Ndakinna (the [[Abenaki]] homeland).<ref name=native-land>{{cite web |title=Territories |url=https://native-land.ca/ |website=native-land.ca |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> Continuing, the river passes through the former country of the [[St. Lawrence Iroquoians|St. Lawrence Iroquois]] and then three of the six homelands of the [[Haudenosaunee]]: the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk or Kanienʼkehá꞉ka]], the [[Oneida people|Oneida or Onyota'a:ka]], and the [[Onondaga people|Onondaga or Onöñda’gaga’]].<ref name=native-land/>

In the early 17th century, the [[Huron-Wendat Nation]] migrated from their original country of [[Huronia (region)|Huronia]] to what is now known as [[:fr:Nionwentsïo|Nionwentsïo]] centred around [[Wendake, Quebec|Wendake]].<ref name="Nionwentsio">{{cite web |title=Carte du Nionwentsïo |url=https://wendake.ca/cnhw/bureau-du-nionwentsio/a-propos/carte-du-nionwentsio/ |website=Nation Huron-Wendat |publisher=Nation Huronne-Wendat |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jaenen |first1=Cornelius J. |title=Murray Treaty of Longueuil (1760) |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/murray-treaty-of-longueuil-1760 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> Nionwentsïo occupies both the north and south shores of the river,<ref name="Nionwentsio"/> overlapping with Nitassinan and the more western [[Wabanaki Confederacy|Wabanaki]] or Dawnland countries.<ref name=native-land/> Adjacent on the north shore is the Atikamekw territorial homeland of [[Nitaskinan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Les Attikameks s'attaquent à l'indifférence de Québec |website=Le Devoir |date=9 September 2014 |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/417966/les-attikameks-s-attaquent-a-l-indifference-de-quebec |access-date=20 April 2017 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Les Atikamekw déclarent leur souveraineté |website=Radio-Canada.ca |date=8 September 2014 |url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/683598/nation-atikamekw-declaration-souverainete-territoire |access-date=20 April 2017 |language=fr}}</ref> and, upstream, the further reaches of Anishinaabewaki, specifically the homelands of the [[Algonquin people|Algonquin]] and [[Mississaugas|Mississauga]] Nations.<ref name=native-land/>

===European exploration===
The [[Norse colonization of the Americas|Norse explored]] the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 11th century and were followed by fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century European mariners, such as [[John Cabot]], and the brothers [[Gaspar Corte Real|Gaspar]] and [[Miguel Corte-Real]]. The first European explorer known to have sailed up the St. Lawrence River itself was [[Jacques Cartier]]. At that time, the land along the river described as "about two leagues, a mountain as tall as a heap of wheat" was inhabited by the [[St. Lawrence Iroquoians]]. During Cartier's second voyage in 1535, because Cartier arrived in the estuary on [[Lawrence of Rome|Saint Lawrence]]'s feast day 10 August, he named it the ''Gulf of Saint Lawrence''.<ref>
{{cite book  | last= Johnson  | first= William Henry  | url= http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21543/  | title= French Pathfinders in North America  | via= Project Gutenberg  | date= 2007-05-20
 | access-date=2011-02-27 }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bideaux|first=Michel|date=1986|title=Jacques Cartier: Relations|url=https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2367364|access-date=20 November 2021|publisher=Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal|language=fr|via=Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec|pages=130–131}}</ref>

The St. Lawrence River is today partly within the U.S. and as such is that country's sixth oldest surviving European place-name.<ref>The Spanish names [[Florida]], [[Dry Tortugas]], [[Cape Canaveral]], [[Appalachia]]n, and [[California]] appeared earlier.....From Spanish historian [[Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas]]'s accounts, published in 1601 -- {{cite book |title=Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States |last= Stewart|first=George |author-link=George R. Stewart|year=1945 |publisher= Random House|location=New York |pages= 11–17, 29}}</ref>

===Early colonists===
The earliest regular Europeans in the area were the [[History of the Basque people#Modern Period|Basques]], who came to the St Lawrence Gulf and River in pursuit of whales from the early 16th century. The [[History of Basque whaling|Basque whalers]] and fishermen traded with indigenous Americans and set up settlements, leaving vestiges all over the coast of eastern Canada and deep into the St. Lawrence River. Basque commercial and fishing activity reached its peak before the ''[[Armada Invencible]]'''s disaster (1588), when the Basque whaling fleet was confiscated by King [[Philip II of Spain]]. Initially, the whaling galleons from [[Labourd]] were not affected by the Spanish defeat.

Until the early 17th century, the French used the name ''Rivière du Canada'' to designate the St. Lawrence upstream to Montreal and the Ottawa River after Montreal. The St. Lawrence River served as the main route for European exploration of the North American interior, first pioneered by French explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]].

===Colonial control===
Control of the river was crucial to [[Great Britain in the Seven Years War|British strategy to capture New France]] in the [[Seven Years' War]]. Having [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|captured Louisbourg]] in 1758, the British sailed up to Quebec the following year thanks to charts drawn up by [[James Cook]]. British troops were ferried via the St. Lawrence to attack the city from the west, which they successfully did at the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]]. The river was used again by the British [[Battle of Neuville|to defeat]] the French siege of Quebec under the [[Chevalier de Lévis]] in 1760.

In 1809, the first steamboat to ply its trade on the St. Lawrence was built and operated by [[John Molson]] and associates, a scant two years after Fulton's steam-powered navigation of the [[Hudson River]]. The ''[[PS Accommodation|Accommodation]]'' with ten passengers made her maiden voyage from Montreal to Quebec City in 66 hours, for 30 of which she was at anchor. She had a keel of 75 feet, and a length overall of 85 feet. The cost of a ticket was eight dollars upstream, and nine dollars down. She had berths that year for twenty passengers.<ref name="St Lawrence Saga: The Clarke Steamship Story - Before Clarke Steamship">{{cite web |author1=Kevin C Griffin |title=St Lawrence Saga: The Clarke Steamship Story - Before Clarke Steamship |url=https://clarkesteamship.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/chapter-2.pdf |access-date=2 September 2024 |pages=2 of 132 |date=2013 |quote=The first steamship to operate on the St Lawrence River was John Molson's wooden paddle steamer Accommodation, built in Montreal in 1809.}}</ref>
Within a decade, daily service was available in the hotly-contested Montreal-Quebec route.<ref>{{harvnb|Denison|1955|p=91}}</ref>

Because of the virtually impassable [[Lachine Rapids]], the St. Lawrence was once continuously navigable only as far as Montreal. Opened in 1825, the [[Lachine Canal]] was the first to allow ships to pass the rapids. An extensive system of canals and locks, known as the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]], was officially opened on 26 June 1959 by [[Elizabeth II]] (representing Canada) and President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] (representing the United States). The Seaway (including the [[Welland Canal]]) now permits ocean-going vessels to pass all the way to [[Lake Superior]].<ref name="The St. Lawrence Seaway, a Vital Waterway">{{cite web |title=The St. Lawrence Seaway, a Vital Waterway |url=https://greatlakes-seaway.com/en/the-seaway/ |website=Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development |publisher=The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Seaway System |access-date=30 August 2024 |date=2024 |quote=According to a special report compiled by BMO Capital Markets, the eight states and two provinces that border the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System generate an immense economic impact within North America.}}</ref>

===Modern Canada===
[[Alcoa]], [[Reynolds Metals Company]], and [[General Motors|General Motors (GM) Central Foundry]] operated along the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries for decades. The Alcoa plant opened in 1903, and Reynolds and GM began operations in the late 1950s. These facilities released toxic substances into the St. Lawrence River and the surrounding area, including [[PCBs]], [[PAHs]], [[cyanide]], [[fluoride]], and [[Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins|dioxins]].

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the [[Battle of the St. Lawrence]] involved submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]], [[Strait of Belle Isle]] and [[Cabot Strait]] from May to October 1942, September 1943, and again in October and November 1944. During this time, German [[U-boat]]s sank several merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships.

In the late 1970s, the river was the subject of a successful ecological campaign (called "Save the River"), originally responding to planned development by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]. The campaign was organized, among others, by [[Abbie Hoffman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savetheriver.org/Default.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101212124/http://www.savetheriver.org/Default.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-11-01 |title=Save the River! |date=2008-11-01 |access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Grand canoe reception given to the Prince of Wales on the St. Lawrence - ILN 1860.jpg|thumb|Grand canoe reception for the [[Prince of Wales]] on the St. Lawrence, 1860]]

* [[Gatien Lapointe]], ''Ode au Saint-Laurent'', Éditions du Jour, Montréal, 1963, Paradis, A. (1963), report, 3 pages.<ref name="Ode to the St, Lawrence, poetry">{{cite web |author1=Andrée Paradis |title=Ode to the St, Lawrence, poetry |url=https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/liberte/1963-v5-n3-liberte1027667/30235ac.pdf |publisher=Editions du Jour, Montréal |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=fr |date=1963 |quote=..the River never took shape with so much truth in one of our poets.. Gatien Lapointe certainly wrote a very beautiful poem there you will have to listen to the song slowly.}}</ref>
* The river was the setting for the Canadian television drama series ''[[Seaway (TV series)|Seaway]]''.
* It is the namesake of ''[[Saint-Laurent Herald]]''.
* In 1980, [[Jacques Cousteau]] filmed ''[[Cries from the Deep]]'' and ''St. Lawrence: Stairway to the Sea''.<ref name="Canada">{{cite web|url=http://blog.nfb.ca/2009/10/23/jacques-cousteau-in-canada/|title=When Cousteau Came to Canada|last=Ohayon|first=Albert|year=2009|work=NFB.ca|publisher=National Film Board of Canada|access-date=2009-10-25}}</ref>
*The 1993 Canadian animated short film ''[[The Mighty River]]'' was about the river.
*The novel and film ''[[Black Robe]]'' are set primarily on the St. Lawrence River during the 17th century.
*The 1941 children's book ''[[Paddle-to-the-Sea]]'', and the film ''[[Paddle to the Sea]]'', involve passage through the St. Lawrence River.
*The St. Lawrence River is mentioned in the 1967 single [[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]] by [[Gordon Lightfoot]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Rivers|Geography|Canada}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem)]]
* [[List of longest rivers of Canada]]
* [[List of Quebec rivers#St. Lawrence River/Gulf of St. Lawrence watershed|List of Quebec rivers]]
* [[List of Ontario rivers#Atlantic Ocean watershed|List of Ontario rivers]]
* [[List of New York rivers#St. Lawrence River Basin|List of New York rivers]]
* [[List of crossings of the St. Lawrence River]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* {{citation |last =Creighton |first =Donald Grant  |year =2002 |type=reprint |orig-year= 1937 |title =The empire of the St. Lawrence: a study in commerce and politics |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UODgxLx3edgC&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20River&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=0-8020-8418-4 }}
* {{citation |last =Dawson |first =Samuel Edward  |year =2003 |title = The Saint Lawrence: Its Basin and Border-lands
 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=r-LZjcqnPtEC&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20River&pg=PP1 |publisher= Heritage Books|isbn= 0-7884-2252-9 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Denison |first1=Merrill |title=The Barley and the Stream: The Molson Story |date=1955 |publisher=McClelland & Stewart Limited}}
* {{cite magazine|title=Canada's Highway to the Sea|first=William S.|last=Ellis|magazine=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|pages=586–623|date=May 1980|volume=157|issue=5|issn=0027-9358|oclc=643483454}}
* {{citation |last =McNeese |first =Tim  |year =2005 |title = The St. Lawrence River|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=yA0GNpSyKc4C&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20River&pg=PP1 |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |isbn= 	0791082458 }}
* {{citation |last =Parham  |first =Claire Puccia |year =2009 |title =The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project : an oral history of the greatest construction show on earth |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=pxgOX-bUXVwC&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20River&pg=PP1 |publisher=Syracuse University|isbn=978-0-8156-0913-1 }}
* {{citation |last = Stagg |first =Ronald |year =2010 |title =The Golden Dream: A History of the St. Lawrence Seaway
  |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=rvEV1-MhUt8C&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20River&pg=PP1 |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn= 978-1-55002-887-4}}
{{Refend}}
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint Lawrence River}}
* [http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/fur-trade-canoe-routes.pdf Fur Trade Canoe Routes of Canada/Then and Now], 1969, Eric W. Morse, M.A.;F.R.G.S, 121 p.
*[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/The_Saint_Lawrence%2C_its_basin_%26_border-lands%3B_the_story_of_their_discovery%2C_exploration_and_occupation_%28IA_saintlawrenceits00daws%29.pdf The Saint Lawrence Its Basin & Border-Lands], 1905, Dr. S. E. Dawson, 584 p.
* [https://www.parks.on.ca/ St. Lawrence Parks Commission (Ontario)]
* [http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/ Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System]
*[https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2024/mpo-dfo/Fs151-18-2024-eng.pdf Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2024], Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2024, (Atlantic, St. Lawrence, Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Arctic and Pacific) [[Fisheries and Oceans Canada]], 298 pages
* [http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/VQ_P1_5_EN.html Safe Passage: Aids to Navigation on the St. Lawrence] &ndash; Historical essay, illustrated with drawings and photographs
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050831065022/http://www.readingstlawrencecounty.com/ Annotated Bibliography on St. Lawrence County and Northern New York region.]
* [https://ijc.org/en/loslrb International St. Lawrence River Board of Control] 
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/st-lawrence-river Saint Lawrence River, The Canadian Encyclopedia]
* [http://www.nfb.ca/film/St_Lawrence_Stairway_to_the_Sea/ Watch the Jacques Cousteau documentary, ''St. Lawrence: Stairway to the Sea'']
* [http://www.erudit.org/revue/gpq/2001/v55/n2/008298ar.pdf Timing and position of late Wisconsinan ice-margins on the upper slope seaward of Laurentian Channel] David J. W. Piper et Adam Macdonald, 2001, 11 page


{{Greatlakes}}
{{Vermont rivers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Lawrence River}}
[[Category:Saint Lawrence River| ]]
[[Category:North American watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean| ]]
[[Category:Physiographic provinces]]
[[Category:International rivers of North America]]
[[Category:Rivers of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Rivers of Ontario]]
[[Category:Canada–United States border]]
[[Category:Rivers of Montérégie]]
[[Category:Rivers of Capitale-Nationale]]
[[Category:Rivers of St. Lawrence County, New York]]
[[Category:Regions of New York (state)]]