What is the longest river in Canada?
The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada. It has a length of 1738 kilometers. Combined with the Peace and the Finlay, its headstreams, it becomes the second amongst the longest rivers in North America (4241 kilometers) in length. The Mackenzie along with its tributaries is said to drain 1,805,200 square kilometers. The river’s average discharge is 10,700 cubic meters per second.
The huge stretch of marshy delta in Mackenzie River is home to migrating Brant, Tundra Swans, and Snow Geese. It also provides a breeding ground for different other types of waterfowl. The Beluga whales breed in the estuary.
The Mackenzie River can be used for navigation for about five months in a year. The river stays frozen from October till May when it is utilized as ice crossings or ice roads. It was named in honor of Alexander Mackenzie who had journeyed the river on his way to the Pacific Ocean in 1789.
Several types of flora and fauna exist in the Mackenzie River Basin. Some of the prominent trees include White Spruce, Black Spruce, and Engelmann Spruce. The Mackenzie Delta is home to the Mallik gas hydrate field which was discovered by Imperial Oil in 1971-1972.
