The
Potomac River flows into the
Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-
Atlanticcoast of the
United States. The
river (main stem and North Branch) is approximately 405 miles (652 km) long, with a
drainage area of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 sq. km). In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the United States and the 21st largest in the United States. Being situated in an area rich in
American history and American heritage has led to the Potomac being nicknamed "the Nation's River."
George Washington, the first
President of the United States, was born in, surveyed, and spent most of his life within the Potomac basin. All of Washington, D.C., the nation's
capital city, also lies within the watershed.
(Wikipedia)