Thompson River

Thompson River
A CN railway crossing of the North Thompson River in Kamloops
A map of the Thompson River's watershed
Location
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Land District	Kamloops Division Yale
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of the North & South Thompson Rivers
• location	Kamloops
• coordinates	50°40′49″N 120°20′36″W / 50.68028°N 120.34333°W / 50.68028; -120.34333
• elevation	345 m (1,132 ft)
Mouth	Fraser River
• location	Lytton
• coordinates	50°14′07″N 121°35′00″W / 50.23528°N 121.58333°W / 50.23528; -121.58333[1]
• elevation	195 m (640 ft)
Length	489 km (304 mi)[2]
Basin size	56,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi)[3]
Discharge
• location	Spences Bridge
• average	773 m3/s (27,300 cu ft/s)
• minimum	171 m3/s (6,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	4,200 m3/s (150,000 cu ft/s)

The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River,^[3] flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river is home to several varieties of Pacific salmon and trout. The area's geological history was heavily influenced by glaciation, and the several large glacial lakes have filled the river valley over the last 12,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows human habitation in the watershed dating back at least 8,300 years. The Thompson was named by Fraser River explorer, Simon Fraser, in honour of his friend, Columbia Basin explorer David Thompson. Recreational use of the river includes whitewater rafting and angling.