Snaking 106 miles through the southwest part of the Florida peninsula, the Peace River was first named on the maps of 16th-century Spanish explorers (“Rio de la Paz”). However, the Creek and Seminole Native Americans called it something else entirely: “Talakchopcohatchee” (“River of Long Peas”). The river flows into the Charlotte Harbor estuary at the Gulf of Mexico, near the city of Punta Gorda.

The Pearl River begins in central Mississippi and flows 444 miles south through two-thirds of the state and into Louisiana, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the river passes through Mississippi’s capital, Jackson, providing drinking water to the city’s 166,000 residents.

In 1986, a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty was erected in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Dauphin, Pennsylvania. Local lawyer Gene Stlip wanted to honor the original statue’s centennial (it was erected in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886), so he used plywood and Venetian blinds to mold his version of Lady Liberty, known as the Dauphin Narrows Statue of Liberty.

Flowing 135 miles from the Boston Mountains to the Ozarks, the Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas became the first national river in the United States in 1972. The national river designation prevents its use for industrial purposes, and it remains one of the few undammed rivers in the lower 48.

The shortest river in the U.S. doesn’t even cover the full length of a football field. Located near Great Falls, Montana, the 201-foot-long Roe River links the headwaters of the Giant Springs to the mouth of the Missouri River.

Withlacoochee is the name of two separate rivers in the state of Florida. The one located in central Florida is known as the “Crooked River,” alongside which is the longest paved rail-trail in the state — the 46-mile-long Withlacoochee State Trail. Stretching 115 miles, the northern Withlacoochee originates in Georgia before flowing south into Florida, where it only flows a mere 1.34 miles before returning north.

The Hudson River's Mohawk name, Muhheakantuck ("river that flows two ways"), gives away a fascinating quirk of its hydrology. The New York river flows in different directions because the Hudson is both a river and a tidal estuary, where the saltwater of the ocean meets inland freshwater. The direction of the flow changes when the tide does.

Several major cities, such as Memphis and New Orleans, lie along the banks of the Mississippi River. That list includes two state capitals: Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Saint Paul joins Minneapolis as part of the “Twin Cities,” bisected by the Mississippi River. Baton Rouge lies on the river’s east bank, and the city’s waterfront is rife with historical sites and attractions.

Measuring 2,350 miles long, the Mighty Mississippi is the fourth-largest river system in the world, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that it touches 10 different states. Beginning in Minnesota, the river travels through Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

The Harlem River flows for eight miles between Manhattan and the Bronx, connecting the Hudson River and the East River. Over its centuries-long history as an important waterway of New York City, the Harlem River has been significantly altered for navigation purposes. Today, the river is spanned by many notable bridges, including the Wards Island Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy Triborough Bridge, and High Bridge (the oldest bridge in New York).

Denver might be more famous for the Rocky Mountains at its doorstep, but the river that flows through the Colorado capital is also beloved by locals. The South Platte River played an important role in Denver’s founding, as the city grew around the waterway. Today, it’s a popular area for outdoor recreation — Denverites can frequently be found kayaking, tubing, fishing, and hiking along its banks.

Built at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to become the Ohio River, Pittsburgh's history has centered around water since it was first established in 1764. In order to travel over its fluvial barriers, the Steel City boasts 446 bridges, more than any city in the world — even Venice, Italy.

The Hoover Dam straddles the border between Arizona and Nevada, diverting water from the Colorado River into Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir. Constructed in under five years during the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam was a marvel of modern engineering when it was completed in 1931.

Mississippi’s namesake river completely separates the state from its western neighbor, Arkansas. It also creates a partial border between Mississippi and Louisiana, though the two states also share a significant land border. Running for 2,318 miles, the Mississippi River flows from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

The Rio Grande forms a natural border between much of the United States and Mexico. Flowing for 1,759 miles, the Rio Grande is the third-longest river in the U.S. The Colorado River also makes for a short stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The name “New River” is pretty ironic considering that — with an estimated age between 260 million to 325 million years old — scientists believe it to be the oldest in North America. Flowing from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina to West Virginia, the 320-mile river is the namesake for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

With more than 250,000 rivers, the United States boasts plenty of waterways, but not all are created equal. The country’s five longest rivers are the Missouri (2,341 miles), the Mississippi (2,202 miles), the Yukon (1,979 miles), the Rio Grande (1,759 miles), and the Colorado (1,450 miles). At 1,243 miles, the Columbia River is seventh on the list.

Flowing for 2,341 miles, the Missouri River is America’s longest river. It originates near Three Forks, Montana, and then passes through seven states. Along the way, it also flows through three state capitals: Bismarck, North Dakota; Pierre, South Dakota; and Jefferson City, Missouri. Although it doesn’t flow directly through Helena, Montana, the Missouri runs very close — just 10 miles away.

Winding its way through the national capital, the Potomac is aptly nicknamed the “Nation’s River.” The Potomac forms the southern headwaters of Chesapeake Bay, one of the East Coast’s most significant estuaries. Not only does the Potomac represent the nation’s cultural heritage, but it also provides a critical habitat for wildlife in its watershed of 14,670 square miles.

You’ve heard of the Mighty Mississippi and the Colorado River, but a surprising number of states share their name with a river — 15, to be exact. These states also include Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Wyoming is not among them.