Red River of the North

Red River of the North Rivière Rouge / rivière Rouge du Nord
The Red River in Fargo–Moorhead, as viewed from the Fargo side of the river
Nelson River drainage basin
River's mouth Show map of Manitoba Red River of the North (Canada) Show map of Canada
Location
Countries	United States Canada
States	Minnesota North Dakota
Province	Manitoba
Cities	Fargo, North Dakota Moorhead, Minnesota Grand Forks, North Dakota East Grand Forks, Minnesota Winnipeg, Manitoba Selkirk, Manitoba
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail Rivers
• location	Wahpeton, North Dakota
• coordinates	46°15′52″N 96°35′55″W / 46.26444°N 96.59861°W / 46.26444; -96.59861
• elevation	948 ft (289 m)
Mouth	Lake Winnipeg
• coordinates	50°23′47″N 96°48′39″W / 50.39639°N 96.81083°W / 50.39639; -96.81083
• elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Length	550 mi (890 km)
Basin size	111,004 sq mi (287,500 km2)[1]
Discharge
• location	Lockport, Manitoba, 20 miles (32 km) above the mouth
• average	8,617 cu ft/s (244.0 m3/s)
• minimum	491 cu ft/s (13.9 m3/s)
• maximum	152,900 cu ft/s (4,330 m3/s)
Basin features
River system	Nelson River
Tributaries
• left	Bois de Sioux River Wild Rice River (North Dakota) Sheyenne River, Elm River Turtle River Pembina River Assiniboine River
• right	Otter Tail River Buffalo River Wild Rice River Red Lake River Roseau River Seine River

Part of a series on the
Red River of the North
The Red River drainage basin, with the Red River highlighted
Major Floods
1950 flood 1997 flood (U.S. impacts) 2009 flood 2011 flood
Geology
Lake Agassiz Red River Valley
Infrastructure
Red River Floodway
Related Topics
Canadian Heritage Rivers System
v t e

The Red River (French: rivière Rouge), also called the Red River of the North (French: rivière Rouge du Nord) to differentiate it from the Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it flows northward through the Red River Valley, forming most of the border of Minnesota and North Dakota and continuing into Manitoba. It empties into Lake Winnipeg, whose waters join the Nelson River and ultimately flow into Hudson Bay.

The Red River is about 885 kilometres (550 mi) long,^[2] of which about 635 kilometres (395 mi) are in the United States and about 255 kilometres (158 mi) are in Canada.^[3] The river falls 70 metres (230 ft) on its trip to Lake Winnipeg, where it spreads into the vast deltaic wetland known as Netley Marsh. Several urban areas have developed on both sides of the river, including the city of Winnipeg in Canada, as well as the Fargo-Moorhead and Grand Forks–East Grand Forks metropolitan areas, both of which straddle the North Dakota–Minnesota border. Long an important highway for trade, the Red River has been designated a Canadian Heritage River.

In the United States, the Red River is sometimes called the Red River of the North to distinguish it from the so-called Red River of the South, a tributary of the Atchafalaya River that forms part of the border between Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.