Abitibi River

The Abitibi River is a river in northeastern Ontario, Canada, which flows northwest from Lake Abitibi to join the Moose River which empties into James Bay. This river is 540 kilometres (340 mi) long, and descends 265 metres (869 ft).[2]

Abitibi River
Abitibi River at Iroquois Falls
Location of the mouth of the Abitibi River in Ontario
Etymology	Algonquin language
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Cochrane
Physical characteristics
Source	Lake Abitibi
• location	38 km east of Iroquois Falls
• coordinates	48°47′06″N 80°10′23″W
Mouth	Moose River
• location	30 km SSW from Moosonee
• coordinates	51°04′17″N 80°55′32″W
Length	540 m (1,770 ft)to head of Lac Loïs [1]
Basin size	29,500 km2 (11,400 sq mi)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Black River, Frederick House River, North Driftwood River
• right	Sucker River, Little Abitibi River

Abitibi is an Amerindian word meaning "halfway water", derived from abitah, which may be translated as "middle" or "halfway", and nipi, "water". Originally used by the French to designate a band of Algonquin Indians who lived near the lake, the name was descriptive of their location halfway between the trading posts on the Hudson Bay and those on the Ottawa River.[3]

The river was an important fur trading route for the Hudson's Bay Company. Formerly, pulp and paper, centered on the town of Iroquois Falls, Ontario, was an important industry in the heavily forested region through which it flows.[2] The region also supports tourism and gold mining.[2]

The Abitibi Canyon Generating Station is located on the river at Abitibi Canyon. The experience of surveying the river for the purposes of building this plant was the inspiration for folk singer Wade Hemsworth's "The Black Fly Song".

The name is from the Algonquin words abitah, meaning middle and nipi meaning water.[2]