Key Facts about Colorado River

About Colorado River:

• It is a major river in North America.
• Course:
  • Origin: It rises in the Rocky Mountainsof Colorado, United States.
  • It flows through the US states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, and the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora. 
  • It drains into the Gulf of California (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) in northwestern Mexico.
  • Total Length: 1,450 miles (2,330 kilometres).
  • Its drainage basin covers 246,000 square miles (637,000 square kilometres).
  • The river drains a vast arid and semiarid sector of the North American
• Tributaries:
  • The Colorado River has several tributaries, including Green, Gunnison, San Juan, Dolores, Little Colorado, Gila, and Virgin Rivers.
  • The Green River is the longest river feeding into the Colorado River.
• Farther downstream, the lower Colorado is flanked by two great deserts, the Mojave and the Sonoran.
• The intensive development along the river has earned it the name “Lifeline of the Southwest.”
• The river’s most famous landmark is the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
• The river has several dams. The Hoover Dam is used to produce electricity.
• It also forms Lake Mead, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.