River Great Ouse
The River Great Ouse (/ˈuːz/) is a river in the England. It is the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse".
| River Great Ouse | |
|---|---|
 The River Great Ouse after Brownshill Staunch, near Over in Cambridgeshire | |
 Great Ouse catchment | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Counties | Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Syresham, South Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England |
| - coordinates | 52°05′33″N 1°05′35″W / 52.09252°N 1.09301°W |
| - elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Mouth | The Wash |
| - location | King's Lynn, United Kingdom |
| - coordinates | 52°47′47″N 0°21′53″E / 52.79632°N 0.36468°E |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 230 km (143 mi) |
| Basin size | 8,380 km2 (3,240 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - location | Denver Sluice [1] Catchment area 3430 km2 |
| - average | 15.8 m3/s (560 cu ft/s)Catchment area 3430 km2 |
From Syresham in central England, the Great Ouse flows into East Anglia. It goes into the Wash, a bay of the North Sea.
Its course is 143 miles (230 km), mostly flowing north and east.[2] It is the fifth longest river in the United Kingdom. The Great Ouse was important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows.
Its best-known tributary is the Cam, which runs through Cambridge. Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens. It has been extensively modified to relieve flooding and provide a better route for barge traffic. It now enters the Wash after passing through the port of King's Lynn.
References change
- ↑ Ely Ouse at Denver Complex gauging station.
- ↑ Owen, Susan; et al. (2005). Rivers and the British Landscape. Carnegie. ISBN 978-1-85936-120-7.