The Mattagami River is a river in the James Bay

James Bay

James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...

 drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 in Cochrane District, Timiskaming District and Sudbury District in Northeastern

Northeastern Ontario

Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...

 Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

The Mattagami flows 443 kilometres (275 mi) from its source at Mattagami Lake in geographic Gouin Township in the Unorganized North Part of Sudbury District, on the Canadian Shield

Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...

 southwest of Timmins

Timmins

Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...

, to Portage Island in geographic Gardiner Township in the Unorganized North Part

Unorganized North Cochrane District

Unorganized Cochrane North Part is an unorganized area in the District of Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It comprises all parts of the district north of Timmins and Iroquois Falls which are not part of an incorporated municipality.-Communities:...

 of Cochrane District, in the Hudson Bay Lowlands

Hudson Bay Lowlands

The Hudson Bay Lowlands is a large, poorly drained piece of wetlands wedged between the Canadian Shield and southern shores of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Many wide and slow-moving rivers flow through this area toward the salt water of Hudson Bay. Mosquitoes and black flies thrive here. This is a...

. Here the Mattagami's confluence with the Missinaibi River

Missinaibi River

The Missinaibi River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Missinaibi Lake, north of Chapleau, and empties into the Moose River, which drains into James Bay. This river is in length...

 forms the Moose River

Moose River (Ontario)

The Moose River is a Canadian river in the Hudson Plains ecozone of northern Ontario which flows 100 km northeast from the junction of the Mattagami and Missinaibi Rivers into James Bay. Its drainage basin is 108,500 km² and it has a mean discharge rate of 1370 m³/s. Its full length...

, about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) from that river's tidewater outlet at James Bay. The Mattagami River flows through the city of Timmins as well as the town of Smooth Rock Falls and its drainage basin encompasses 37000 square kilometres (14,285.8 sq mi).

The Mattagami's name comes from the Ojibwe

Ojibwe language

Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...

 and means either "the start of water" (maadaagami) or "turbulent water" (madaagami).

Course

For a map showing the river course, see this reference.

Economy

Where the Groundhog and Kapuskasing Rivers flow into the Mattagami, Ontario Power Generation

Ontario Power Generation

Ontario Power Generation is a public company wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and fossil fuel...

 operates the Little Long Generating Station, with a dam just over 5 km in length.

Tributaries

Tributaries include the:

• Kapuskasing River
  Kapuskasing River
  The Kapuskasing River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Cochrane District and Algoma District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is a left tributary of the Mattagami River.-Course:...
  
  
  • Nemegosenda River
    • Chapleau River
• Groundhog River
  Groundhog River
  The Groundhog River is a river in Cochrane District and Sudbury District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the James Bay drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Mattagami River.-Course:...
  
  
  • Ivanhoe River
    Ivanhoe River
    The Ivanhoe River is a river in Cochrane District and Sudbury District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the James Bay drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Groundhog River.-Course:For a map showing the river course, see this reference....
    
    
  • Nat River
• Kamiskotia River
• Grassy River
• Tatachikapika River
• Mattagami Lake
  • Minisinakwa River
    • Nabakwasi River
      • Opikinimika River
    • Noble River