Saint-François River

The Saint-François River is a river in the Canadian province of Quebec.

For the river forming part of the Canada-U.S. border, see St. Francis River (Maine). See also St. Francis River (disambiguation).

Saint-François River
A tree on the banks of the Saint-François River in Drummondville
Map of the Saint-François River watershed
Native name	Rivière Saint-François
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Estrie, Chaudière-Appalaches, Centre-du-Québec
Cities	Sherbrooke, Drummondville
Physical characteristics
Source	Lac Saint-François
• location	Lambton, Estrie, Quebec, Canada
• coordinates	45°53′55″N 71°09′28″W
• elevation	289 m (948 ft)
Mouth
• location	Pierreville, Centre-du-Québec, Quebec, Canada
• coordinates	46°07′09″N 72°55′28″W
Length	218 km (135 mi)
Basin size	10,230 km^2 (3,950 sq mi)
Discharge
• location	Lac Saint-Pierre
Discharge
• location	Drummondville
• average	190 m^3/s (6,700 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Magog River

The Saint-François takes its source from Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards Sherbrooke, where it changes it course northwest towards Drummondville, and finally empties into the Saint Lawrence River near Pierreville.

About 15 kilometres (9 mi) upstream of the centre of Drummondville, a meander in the river forms a shape strongly resembling a profile drawing of a duck's head and neck, with an island marking the eye. The peninsula forming the "beak of the duck" is named accordingly, le Bec du Canard, and the road running along it is Rue du Bec-du-Canard.[1][2][3]

References

1. Satellite view on classic Google Maps
2. Page with oblique aerial photo
3. Saint-Nicéphore in the French Wikipedia