James River
| James River | |
|---|---|
James River at the crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway | |
A map of the James River drainage basin | |
| Etymology | King James VI and I |
| Native name | Powhatan (Powhatan) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Cowpasture River and Jackson River |
| • location | Iron Gate, Allegheny Mountains, Virginia |
| • coordinates | 37°47′4″N 79°46′33″W / 37.78444°N 79.77583°W |
| Mouth | Hampton Roads |
• location | Chesapeake Bay, Virginia |
• coordinates | 36°56′30″N 76°26′37″W / 36.94167°N 76.44361°W |
| Length | 348 mi (560 km) |
| Basin size | 10,432 sq mi (27,020 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 6,835 cu ft/s (193.5 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 10 cu ft/s (0.28 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 313,000 cu ft/s (8,900 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Chickahominy River |
| • right | Appomattox River |
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County 348 miles (560 km) to the Chesapeake Bay. The river length extends to 444 miles (715 km) if the Jackson River, the longer of its two headwaters, is included. It is the longest river in Virginia. Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia's first colonial capitals, and Richmond, Virginia's current capital, lie on the James River.