For other rivers with this name see Fraser River (disambiguation)
The Fraser River is the longest river of British Columbia in Canada, rising in the Rocky Mountains near Mount Robson flowing for 1400 km (870 mi), into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Vancouver.
The Fraser drains a 220,000 km² area. Its source is just below Mount Edith Cavell, and for the first part of its course it runs northwest, past Mount Robson, reaching past 54° north before making a sharp turn to the south. At the town of Prince George it is joined by the Nechako River , then continues south and slightly east until just north of the United States border, passing through the Coast Mountains in a deep canyon. It then turns west, passing by Chilliwack and then forming a large delta where it empties into the Strait of Georgia between the mainland and Vancouver Island. The areas south of the City of Vancouver, namely Richmond, Delta and other smaller municipalities all sit on the flat flood plain. The river's volume at its mouth is 112 km³ each year, and it dumps 20 million tons of sediment into the ocean.
The upper reaches of the Fraser River were first explored by Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 1793, and fully traced by Simon Fraser in 1807, who confirmed that it was not connected with the Columbia River.
The Fraser is heavily exploited by human activities, especially in its lower reaches. Its banks are rich farmland, its water is used by pulp mills, and a few dams on some tributaries provide hydroelectric power. The main flow of the Fraser has never been dammed.
The delta of the river, especially in the Boundary Bay area, is an important stopover location for migrating shorebirds.
Tributaries:
- Chilcotin River
- Nechako River
- Quesnel River
- Thompson River
- West Road River
External link