Potomac River
Capital city's boundary
The Potomac River flows approximately 405 miles from the Appalachian highlands of West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, forming much of the border between Maryland and Virginia.
Washington, D.C. sits on its banks, making the river symbolically central to American government—across the Potomac often means the Pentagon or military establishment, viewed from the capital.
Drainage area boundary
- Chesapeake BayMid-Atlantic tidal estuary
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
- confluenceMeeting point of streams
wetlands · riparian · sediment · fisheries · shad · bass · heron · eagle
Point of origin
meander · floodplain · channel · freshwater · tidal · Piedmont · Appalachian · Maryland
- Mount VernonFirst president's residence
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- Revolutionary WarColonial uprising against Britain
- colonialOf occupied territories
Great Falls · Antietam · Harper's Ferry · Robert E. Lee · plantations · Union · Confederacy · tobacco
Navigating slim watercraft seated
- canoeingWatercraft propulsion by paddle
- rowingPulling oars to move
- fishingCatching aquatic creatures
- boatingWatercraft recreation
Great Falls · hiking · cycling · towpath · swimming · rafting · paddleboarding · sailing
U.S. seat of government
- GeorgetownStoried D.C. locale
- National MallFederal parkland between memorials
- CapitolLegislative assembly building
- White HouseOfficial presidential residence
Pentagon · federal · Congress · Senate · embassy · Arlington · monuments · memorials
watershed
Drainage area boundary
- Chesapeake BayMid-Atlantic tidal estuary
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
confluence · wetlands · riparian · sediment · fisheries · shad · bass · heron · eagle · pollution
source
Point of origin
gorge · meander · floodplain · channel · freshwater · tidal · Piedmont · Appalachian · Maryland · Virginia
George Washington
- Mount VernonFirst president's residence
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- Revolutionary WarColonial uprising against Britain
colonial · Great Falls · Antietam · Harper's Ferry · Robert E. Lee · plantations · Union · Confederacy · tobacco · Alexandria
kayaking
Navigating slim watercraft seated
boating · Great Falls · hiking · cycling · towpath · swimming · rafting · paddleboarding · sailing · birdwatching
Washington
U.S. seat of government
- GeorgetownStoried D.C. locale
- National MallFederal parkland between memorials
- CapitolLegislative assembly building
White House · Pentagon · federal · Congress · Senate · embassy · Arlington · monuments · memorials · government