Manatee River

Manatee River
Manatee River
	Map of Manatee River in Florida
	Location of the mouth in Florida
Location
Country	United States
State	Florida
Counties	Manatee
District	Southwest Florida Water Management District
Physical characteristics
Mouth	Gulf of Mexico
• location	Tampa Bay
• coordinates	27°31′51″N 82°39′12″W / 27.5308703°N 82.6534319°W
Length	36 miles (58 km)
Basin size	360 square miles (930 km2)
Basin features
River system	Manatee River Watershed
Landmarks	Edward W. Chance Reserve; Lake Manatee State Park; Bradenton Riverwalk; Palmetto Riverside Park; De Soto National Memorial; Emerson Point Preserve; Robinson Preserve;
Waterbodies	Lake Manatee
Bridges	Fort Hamer Bridge; Trooper JD Young Bridge; Hernando DeSoto Bridge; Green Bridge;

The Manatee River is a 36-mile-long (58 km) river in Manatee County, Florida. The river forms in the northeastern corner of Manatee County and flows into the Gulf of Mexico at the southern edge of Tampa Bay.

Wildlife in and around the river includes alligators, herons, manatees, dolphins, and fish such as bass, bluegill, catfish, and gar. Bull sharks are occasionally found in the brackish water near its low-lying outlet. The river includes the Upper Manatee River Canoe Trail for paddlers.