Tennessee River
| Tennessee River | |
|---|---|
The Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga | |
Map of the Tennessee River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky |
| Largest City | Huntsville |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of French Broad and Holston rivers at Knoxville |
| • coordinates | 35°57′33″N 83°51′01″W / 35.95917°N 83.85028°W |
| • elevation | 813 ft (248 m) |
| Mouth | Ohio River at Livingston / McCracken counties, near Paducah, Kentucky |
• coordinates | 37°04′02″N 88°33′53″W / 37.06722°N 88.56472°W |
• elevation | 302 ft (92 m) |
| Length | 652 mi (1,049 km) |
| Basin size | 40,876 sq mi (105,870 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 70,575 cu ft/s (1,998.5 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 500,000 cu ft/s (14,000 m3/s) |
The Tennessee River is a 652 mi (1,049 km) long river located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of French Broad and Holston rivers at Knoxville, and drains into the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky. It is the largest tributary of the Ohio, and drains a basin of 40,876 sq mi (105,870 km2).
Its tributary, the Little Tennessee River, flows into it from Western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia.