1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
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Florida
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Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St
3.
Tributary
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A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean, tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean. A confluence, where two or more bodies of water together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary, a river or stream that branches off from, distributaries are most often found in river deltas. Right tributary and left tributary are terms stating the orientation of the relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from the perspective of looking downstream, where tributaries have the same name as the river into which they feed, they are called forks. These are typically designated by compass direction, for example, the American River receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago Rivers North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork, the South Branch has its South Fork, forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here, the handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream, for instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river, the Strahler Stream Order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third, and higher orders, with the first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary, another method is to list tributaries from mouth to source, in the form of a tree structure, stored as a tree data structure
4.
Caloosahatchee River
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The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately 67 miles long. It drains rural areas on the edge of the Everglades. The river issues from Lake Hicpochee, in southeastern Glades County and it flows west-southwest past LaBelle, where it becomes tidal, forming an estuary along its lower 25 mi. It broadens as it nears the gulf, passing Fort Myers and it enters the Gulf of Mexico 10 mi southwest of Fort Myers in San Carlos Bay, protected by Sanibel Island. Lucie River estuary to the east and the Caloosahatchee River estuary to the west, thus the normal mix of fresh and salt water in those estuaries was replaced by a flood of polluted fresh water resulting in ecological damage. As a result, both the magnitude and timing of delivery to the estuary have been substantially altered. Recent programs by the government have attempted to establish minimum flow levels in the river. A federal wildlife refuge for manatees has been established at the mouth of the river on San Carlos Bay near Fort Myers, in 2007, PBS Earth Edition produced 27 minute video titled, The Caloosahatchee. The video can be watched for free here, http, //video. wgcu. org/video/1576144404/, Earth Editions description of the video follows, There are really two Caloosahatchee Rivers
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Chattahoochee River
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The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida border. The Chattahoochee River is about 430 miles long, the Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola rivers together make up the Apalachiacola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin. The Chattahoochee makes up the largest part of the ACFs drainage basin and its headwaters flow south from ridges that form the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Appalachian Trail crosses the rivers uppermost headwaters, the Chattahoochees source and upper course lies within Chattahoochee National Forest. From its source in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chattahoochee River flows southwesterly to Atlanta and it eventually turns due south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. Flowing through a series of reservoirs and artificial lakes, it flows by Columbus, the second-largest city in Georgia, at Columbus, it crosses the Fall Line of the eastern United States. From Lake Oliver to Fort Benning, the Chattahoochee Riverwalk provides cycling, rollerblading, farther south, it merges with the Flint River and other tributaries at Lake Seminole near Bainbridge, to form the Apalachicola River that flows into the Florida Panhandle. Although the same river, this portion was given a different name by separated settlers in different regions during the colonial times, the name Chattahoochee is thought to come from a Muskogean word meaning rocks-marked, from chato plus huchi. This possibly refers to the many colorful granite outcroppings along the northeast-to-southwest segment of the river, much of that segment of the river runs through the Brevard fault zone. A local Georgia nickname for the Chattahoochee River is The Hooch, the vicinity of the Chattahoochee River was inhabited in prehistoric times by indigenous peoples since at least 1000 BC. Among the historical nations, the Chattahoochee served as a line between the Muscogee and the Cherokee territories in the Southeast. The Muscogee were first removed from the side of the river. The Chattahoochee River was of strategic importance during the Atlanta Campaign by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman of the American Civil War. A month prior to the Battle of Atlanta, Shoup talked with Johnston on June 18,1864 about building fortifications, Johnston agreed, and Shoup supervised the building of 36 small elevated earth and wooden triangular fortifications, arranged in a sawtooth pattern to maximize the crossfire of defenders. Sherman tried to avoid the Shoupade defenses by crossing the river to the northeast, the nine remaining Shoupades consist of the earthworks portion of the original earth and wooden structures, they are endangered by land development in the area. Since the nineteenth century, early improvements and alterations to the river were for the purposes of navigation, the river was important for carrying trade and passengers and was a major transportation route. Creating the manmade,46, 000-acre Walter F. George Lake required evacuating numerous communities, including the historically majority-Native American settlement of Oketeyeconne, the lakes were complete in 1963, covering over numerous historic and prehistoric sites of settlement. In 2010 a campaign to create a course was launched in the portion of the Chattahoochee River that runs through Columbus
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Econlockhatchee River
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The Econlockhatchee River is an 87. 7-kilometer-long north-flowing blackwater tributary of the St. Johns River, the longest river in the U. S. state of Florida. The Econ River flows through Osceola, Orange, and Seminole counties in Central Florida and its name means River of mounds, and it is a designated Outstanding Florida Waters. The river flows north from its source, Lake Conlin, through the Econlockhatchee River Swamp south of State Road 528, near the City of Oviedo, the tributary Little Econlockhatchee River joins, and the river turns east as it flows through the Little Big Econ State Forest. The Econlockhatchee joins the St. Johns River near Puzzle Lake, the rivers floodplain is forested for its entire length. The upper course of the river is called the Econlockhatchee River Swamp, located southeast of Orlando, the swamp is 21 kilometres long, from Lake Conlin to State Road 528. South of State Road 532, the swamp is known as Cat Island Swamp, the river is at its widest here, bordered by Lake Preston to the west. Seven miles downstream, the elevation is 19 metres. The Disston Canal joins Lake Mary Jane and Lake Hart to the swamp, Turkey Creek Bay is an arm of the swamp, through which the tributary Turkey Creek flows. North of Wewahootee Road, the Econlockhatchee River leaves the swamp, list of Florida rivers Hal Scott Preserve Oviedo, Florida Wedgefield, Florida formerly known as Rocket City Econlockhatchee River Canoe Trail
7.
Hillsborough River (Florida)
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The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, the name Hillsborough River first appeared on a British map in 1769. Geological data suggests that the Hillsborough River has been flowing for about 27,000 years, humans first made their way to this area 12,000 -15,000 years ago. In the late 18th century the watershed of the Hillsborough River was a covered by a rich. Majestic bald cypress, longleaf pine, and sand live oak were hundreds of years old, in the mid to late 19th century to about 1913 the watershed of this old growth forest began to be logged. As a result of this activity, most of the trees within the Hillsborough River basin are now less than one hundred years in age. The harvesting of the old growth trees altered the ecosystems they dominated, trees such as water ash and water locust were able to quickly grow in the sun-lit spaces created when bigger trees were removed. The riverine swamp forest as it today has a much different ecology than the ecosystem that had existed along the Hillsborough for the previous ten to fifteen thousand years. Pánfilo de Narváez, a Spanish explorer, lands near Tampa Bay and he and the four hundred men with him find the Tocobaga culture established in the area. Hernando de Soto, another Spaniard, comes to Tampa Bay, by the early 18th century the Tocobaga people, through disease and slavery, are nearly exterminated. A survey of the Hillsborough River is done by Don Francisco Maria Celi and he ventures up to the Temple Terrace area in search of longleaf pine to use as masts for his ships. He names the pine forest of the area El Pinal de la Cruz de Santa Teresa or The Pines of the Cross of Saint Teresa, there is a plaque commemorating his exploration at Riverhills Park in Temple Terrace. A map drawn and sent to the Earl of Hillsborough, English Governor of West Florida, during the mid and late 18th century, Native Americans from the north, mostly Creek, begin to migrate to Florida. These immigrants become known as Seminoles, Florida becomes a United States territory. Construction of Fort Brooke begins at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, the Fort King Military Road is built to connect Fort King in Ocala with Fort Brooke in what was then the settlement of Tampa. A bridge is built to cross the Hillsborough, congress passes the Indian Removal Act. The American government begins efforts to remove the Seminole from Tampa Bay, tensions between Seminole and Americans continue. Seminoles burn the bridge at the Fort King Road’s river crossing, Fort Foster is established at the Hillsborough River crossing to protect this strategically advantageous position
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Ochlockonee River
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The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for 206 miles before terminating in Florida. The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida. In Florida, the forms the western boundaries of Leon County and Wakulla County and eastern boundaries of Gadsden County, Liberty County. Old Spanish documents sometimes refer to the Ochlockonee River as the Rio Agna and in other instances as the Rio de Lagna, the names Lagna and Lana may be Spanish renditions of the Muskogean word LAHnee, which translates as yellow. The rich yellows and reds of Red Hills clay give the river a yellowish color, eighteenth century English maps give the name as Ogeelaganu or Ochloconee, which probably retains at least the flavor of its Hitchiti name. Variations of these continued into century with O-clock-ney being used in 1822, about 1840, Fort Stansbury was established on the river by placing a two story home that had been abandoned by its owner due to Seminole raids during the Second Seminole War. This fort was important in the removal of Indians from the area. Boats traveled upriver to collect and move Native Americans down to Gulf of Mexico ports for removal to Indian Territories, by 1844, Fort Stansbury had been abandoned. From 1839 to 1842, Fort Virginia Braden was established on the river located at Fort Braden in Florida, the fort was named after the commanders wife who died of yellow fever. The Ochlockonee River saw action during the Civil War, on 15 July 1863 the screw steamer gunboat USS Stars and Stripes and wooden side-wheel steam ferryboat USS Somerset attacked the salt works at Mashes Sands. On 29 December 1863 Stars and Stripes sank the blockade-running schooner Caroline Gertrude, Stars and Stripes also captured the blockade-running steamer Laura off the Ochlockonee on 18 January 1864. On 19 and 20 October 1864 Stars and Stripes destroyed an extensive Confederate fishery at Mashes Island, the Ochlockonee River corridor is home to many threatened fish, wildlife and plant species. Rare animals that can be found along the Ochlockonee include red-cockaded woodpecker, least tern, the river is especially rich in rare freshwater mussels, including three federally listed endangered species, the Ochlockonee moccasinshell, the Shinyrayed pocketbook, and the Oval pigtoe. The Florida maybell tree can be found only along the Ochlockonee, the Ochlockonee is connected to and a source of water for Lake Iamonia especially during flooding. Fishing for bass, perch, bream and catfish can be excellent on the Ochlockonee River, telogia Creek and the Little River near State Road 12 are also popular for canoeing. The Florida National Scenic Trail follows the river for two miles, the Ochlockonee is a vital link in the production of seafood to the southwest in Apalachicola Bay. A number of major highways cross the Ochlockonee River along its course, including Interstate 10 and U. S. highways 19,27, south Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region Florida Dept. of Transportation, Florida Bridge Information. Ochlockonee River Soil and Water Conservation District Ochlockonee River Watershed - Florida DEP U. S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Ochlockonee River
9.
Peace River (Florida)
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The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U. S. A. It is 106 miles long and has a basin of 1,367 square miles. U. S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course, the river was called Rio de la Paz on 16th century Spanish charts. It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps, the Creek Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, River of Long Peas. Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade, Wauchula, the river has always been a vital resource to the people in its watershed. Historically, the abundant fishery and wildlife of Charlotte Harbor supported large populations of people of the Caloosahatchee culture, today, the Peace River supplies over six million gallons per day of drinking water to the people in the region. The river is popular for canoeing. There were many Pleistocene and Miocene fossils found throughout the Peace River area, most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley. The Peace River is a destination for fossil hunters who dig and sift the river gravel for fossilized shark teeth. Several campgrounds and canoe rental operations cater to hunters, with Wauchula, Zolfo Springs. Kissingen Springs South Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region ODonnell, Brian, Peace River, in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds. USGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Zolfo Springs USGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Arcadia Media related to Peace River at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Santa Fe River (Florida)
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The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile river in northern Florida. The headwaters of the river are Lake Santa Fe, near Keystone Heights, the Santa Fe River is usually a slow-flowing river. This slow speed, combined with the abundant leaf-drop from nearby trees, especially Bald Cypress, the Santa Fe River is unusual in that it completely disappears underground and then reappears 3 miles downstream. The river drops into a sinkhole in OLeno State Park. A map of the watershed clearly shows the gap in the river where it flows underground. Springs like Gilchrist Blue, Ginnie, Hornsby, Lily, Poe, the water temperature near the numerous springs is always around 72 °F. As with many rivers in Florida, plant and animal fossil remnants are plentiful along the Santa Fe, the tributaries of the Santa Fe include the New River, Olustee Creek, and Ichetucknee River, another spring-fed river. The Santa Fe empties into the Suwannee River near Branford, Florida, the river derives its name from a Franciscan mission named Santa Fé de Toloca formerly located near the river. The Santa Fe River, saveoursuwannee. org Paddling on Santa Fe River, adventureoutpost. net Our Santa Fe River, oursantaferiver. org Kayak The Santa Fe River, Florida, irishwaterdogs. com
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St. Johns River
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The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U. S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the states largest. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet, like most Florida waterways and it is notable among some that the rivers course flows north, a relatively rare characteristic. Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, the narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County. The St. Johns drainage basin of 8,840 square miles includes some of Floridas major wetlands and it is separated into three major basins and two associated watersheds for Lake George and the Ocklawaha River, all managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District. It has been the subject of William Bartrams journals, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings books, when attention was turned to the state, however, much of the land was rapidly overdeveloped in a national zeal for progress. The St. Johns, like many Florida rivers, was altered to make way for agricultural and residential centers and it suffered severe pollution and human interference that has diminished the natural order of life in and around the river. In all,3.5 million people live within the watersheds that feed into the St. Johns River. The St. Johns, named one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998, was included on a list of Americas Ten Most Endangered Rivers in 2008. Restoration efforts are under way for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida continues to deal with population increases in the rivers vicinity, starting in Indian River County and meeting the Atlantic Ocean at Duval County, the St. Johns is Floridas primary commercial and recreational waterway. It flows north from its headwaters, originating in the direction of the Lake Wales Ridge, because of this low elevation drop, the river has a long backwater. It ebbs and flows with tides that pass through the barrier islands, uniquely, it shares the same regional terrain as the parallel Kissimmee River, although the Kissimmee flows south. The St. Johns River is separated into three basins and two associated watersheds managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District, because the river flows in a northerly direction, the upper basin is located in the headwaters of the river at its southernmost point. Indian River County is where the river begins as a network of marshes, the St. Johns River is a blackwater stream, meaning that it is fed primarily by swamps and marshes lying beneath it, water seeps through the sandy soil and collects in a slight valley. The upper basin measures approximately 2,000 square miles, the St. Johns transforms into a waterway in Brevard County. The river touches on the borders of Osceola and Orange Counties, the upper basin of the St. Johns was significantly lowered in the 1920s with the establishment of the Melbourne Tillman drainage project. This drained the St. Johns headwaters eastward to the Indian River through canals dug across the Ten-Mile Ridge near Palm Bay, as of 2015, these past diversions are being partially reversed through the first phase of the Canal 1 Rediversion project. The river is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin, channel flows are not apparent and are usually unmarked
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Suwannee River
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The Suwannee River is a major river that runs through South Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a blackwater river, about 246 miles long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwanee Straits which separated peninsular Florida from the panhandle, the headwaters of the Suwanee River are in the Okefenokee Swamp in the town of Fargo, Georgia. The river runs southwestward into the Florida Panhandle, then drops in elevation through limestone layers into a rare Florida whitewater rapid. Past the rapid, the Suwanee turns west near the town of White Springs, Florida, then connects to the confluences of the Alapaha River, starting at the confluences of those three rivers, that confluence forms the southern borderline of Hamilton County, Florida. The Suwanee then bends southward near the town of Ellaville, Florida followed by Luraville, Florida then joins together with the Santa Fe River from the east south of the town of Branford, Florida. The river ends and drains into the Gulf of Mexico on the outskirts of Suwannee, the Spanish recorded the native Timucua name of Guacara for the river that would later become known as the Suwannee. Different etymologies have suggested for the modern name. Brinton first suggested in his 1889 Notes on the Floridian Peninsula that Suwannee was a corruption of the Spanish San Juan. This theory is supported by Jerald Milanich, who states that Suwannee developed through San Juan-ee from the 17th-century Spanish mission of San Juan de Guacara, Shawnee, The migrations of the Shawnee throughout the South have also been connected to the name Suwannee. As early as 1820, the Indian agent John Johnson said the Suwaney river was named after the Shawanoese. Echo, In 1884, Albert S. Gatschet claimed that Suwannee derives from the Creek word sawani, meaning echo, gatschets etymology also survives in more recent publications, often mistaking the language of translation. For example, a University of South Florida website states that the Timucuan Indian word Suwani means Echo River, River of Reeds, Deep Water, or Crooked Black Water. In 2004, William Bright repeats it again, now attributing the name Suwanee to a Cherokee village of Sawani, the Suwannee River area has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. By 1633, the Spanish had established the missions of San Juan de Guacara, San Francisco de Chuaquin, in the 18th century, Seminoles lived by the river. The steamboat Madison operated on the river before the Civil War, and this river is the subject of the Stephen Foster song Old Folks at Home, in which he calls it the Swanee Ribber. Foster had named the Pedee River of South Carolina in his first lyrics and it has been called Swanee River because Foster had used an alternative contemporary spelling of the name. Foster never actually saw the river he made world-famous, george Gershwins song, with lyrics by Irving Caesar, and made popular by Al Jolson, is also spelled Swanee and boasts that the folks up North will see me no more when I get to that Swanee shore
