The
Altamaha River is a major
river in the
U.S. state of
Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its
origin at the
confluence of the
Oconee River and
Ocmulgee River towards the
Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near
Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams directly on the Altamaha, though there are some on the Oconee and the Ocmulgee. Including its tributaries, the Altamaha River's
drainage basin is about in size, qualifying it among the larger river basins of the US Atlantic coast. It is reportedly the third largest contributor of fresh water to the Atlantic Ocean from North America. Including its longest tributary (the
Ocmulgee River) in length calculations as is standard
USGS practice, its length of places it seventh on the list of U.S. rivers entirely within one state, behind only four
Alaskan rivers, the
Sacramento-
Pit River in California, and the
Trinity River in Texas. The beginning of the
Colorado River of Texas is just within
New Mexico. The long
Mobile-
Alabama-
Coosa River system, mostly in
Alabama, originates a short distance within
Georgia.