Columbia River

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than 3000 m (9850 ft) In Glacier National Park they reach heights of 3390 m (11,125 ft). Rogers Pass, 1327 m (4355 ft) up, was an ideal route for the TransCanada Railway and the TransCanada Highway to wind its way over the Columbia Mountains.

South of the Cariboo Mountains - which extend as far as the Fraser River, another important river system in British Columbia -the Columbia River is diverted southwards. The Mica Dam blocks off the river for the production of hydro-electric power. The Columbia now flows southward along the Monashee Mountains. Numerous dams have been built in this wide canyon in order to provide water-power, including the Revelstoke Dam, Whatshany Dam and others, forming elongated lakes, such as Revelstoke Lake and Upper Arrow Lake. Numerous tributaries flowing down from the adjoining mountain chains and often fed by melting glaciers provide the Columbia with ample supplies of water. In spring, when snow melts in Canada's most snowy regions, the water level can be too high.

After passing the USA border the Columbia is again frequently dammed and now flows along the Columbia Plateau, the northernmost of the three great intermountain highlands of the USA, where flat tertiary layers of basalt lava are frequently found.

After 1840 km (1150 mi.) the Columbia reaches the Pacific in Oregon. Its delta is about 56 km (35 mi.) long and 11 km (7 mi.) wide. In all the Columbia has a catchments area of 775,000 sq. km (300,000 sq. mi.). Only parts of it are fully navigable, however; smallish ships can sail as far as 250 km (150 mi.) inland.