Peace River
| Peace River | |
|---|---|
Peace River Valley in BC | |
Map of the Peace River watershed in western Canada | |
| Etymology | Peace Point, Alberta, where a treaty marking the river as the boundary between Beaver and Cree was signed in 1781 |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia, Alberta |
| Cities | Fort Saint John, British Columbia, Peace River, Alberta |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Finlay River |
| • location | Thutade Lake, British Columbia |
| • coordinates | 57°04′29″N 126°53′36″W / 57.07472°N 126.89333°W |
| • elevation | 1,140 m (3,740 ft) |
| 2nd source | Parsnip River |
| • location | Near Mount Barton, British Columbia |
| • coordinates | 54°30′02″N 121°26′26″W / 54.50056°N 121.44056°W |
| • elevation | 1,716 m (5,630 ft) |
| Source confluence | Williston Lake |
| • coordinates | 55°59′21″N 123°50′08″W / 55.98917°N 123.83556°W |
| • elevation | 748 m (2,454 ft)(Elevation of Williston Lake) |
| Mouth | Slave River |
• location | Confluence of Peace with Athabasca River, Alberta |
• coordinates | 59°00′01″N 111°24′38″W / 59.00028°N 111.41056°W |
| Length | 1,923 km (1,195 mi) |
| Basin size | 306,000 km2 (118,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Peace Point, Alberta |
| • average | 2,110 m3/s (75,000 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 344 m3/s (12,100 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 9,790 m3/s (346,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Mackenzie River watershed |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Finlay River, Halfway River, Beatton River, Clear River (Alberta), Ponton River |
| • right | Parsnip River, Pine River, Kiskatinaw River, Pouce Coupé River, Smoky River, Wabasca River, Mikkwa River |
The Peace River (French: rivière de la Paix) is a 1,923-kilometre-long (1,195 mi) river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Finlay River, the main headwater of the Peace River, is regarded as the ultimate source of the Mackenzie River. The combined Finlay–Peace–Slave–Mackenzie river system is the 13th longest river system in the world.