The Piscataqua River is a river in the northeastern United States. It is a 12 mi (19 km) long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers, and flows southeastward, forming part of the boundary between the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it forms one of the finest natural harbors in the northeastern United States. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is located in the river near its mouth.

The drainage basin of the river is approximately 1,495 square miles.

The name of the river derives from a Native American word Piscataquanke, meaning "a great deer place." The river has recently between the subject of a border dispute between the states of New Hampshire and Maine regarding the precise location of the border in the riverbed.

See also

• List of New Hampshire rivers
• List of Maine rivers

External links

• MaineRivers.org Piscataqua River
• New Hampshire v. Maine (2001) U.S. Supreme Court Case regarding border dispute
• The Piscataqua River: A Description by Melissa Monk
• History as Border of New Hampshire