Shinano River
| Shinano River Chikuma River (千曲川) | |
|---|---|
The Shinano River in Niigata just before it flows into the Sea of Japan | |
| Native name | 信濃川 (Japanese) |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Prefectures | Nagano, Niigata |
| Cities | Niigata, Nagaoka, Nagano, Matsumoto |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Kobushi |
| • location | Japanese Alps, Nagano Prefecture |
| • coordinates | 35°54′47″N 138°43′10″E / 35.913°N 138.7194°E |
| • elevation | 2,475 m (8,120 ft) |
| Mouth | Sea of Japan |
• location | Niigata Prefecture |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 367 km (228 mi) |
| Basin size | 11,900 km2 (4,600 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Ojiya |
| • average | 503 m3/s (17,800 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 91 m3/s (3,200 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 3,776 m3/s (133,300 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Urano River, Sai River (Nagano) |
| • right | Yu River (Nagano), Hoshina River, Ayu River, Yagisawa River, Matsu River, Uono River |
The Shinano River (信濃川, Shinano-gawa), known as the Chikuma River (千曲川, Chikuma-gawa) in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing generally northeast through Nagano and Niigata Prefectures before emptying into the Sea of Japan. It is designated as a Class A river.