The Chickasawhay River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

, about 210 miles (338 km) long, in southeastern Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a principal tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Pascagoula River

Pascagoula River

The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 mi long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 sq mi and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico....

, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

. The Chickasawhay's tributaries also drain a portion of western Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. The name "Chickasawhay" comes from the Choctaw

Choctaw language

The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family...

 word chikashsha-ahi, literally "Chickasaw potato".

Course

The Chickasawhay is formed by the confluence of the Chunky River

Chunky River

The Chunky River is a short tributary of the Chickasawhay River in east-central Mississippi. Via the Chickasawhay, it is part of the watershed of the Pascagoula River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico.-Course:...

 and Okatibbee Creek at Enterprise

Enterprise, Mississippi

Enterprise is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 474 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Enterprise is located at...

 in northwestern Clarke County

Clarke County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,955 people, 6,978 households, and 5,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 8,100 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

 and flows generally southward through Clarke, Wayne

Wayne County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,216 people, 7,857 households, and 5,853 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 9,049 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...

 and Greene

Greene County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 13,299 people, 4,148 households, and 3,152 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 4,947 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...

 Counties into northern George

George County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,144 people, 6,742 households, and 5,305 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 7,513 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

 County, where it meets the Leaf River

Leaf River (Mississippi)

The Leaf River is a river, about 180 mi long, in southern Mississippi in the United States. It is a principal tributary of the Pascagoula River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.-Course:...

 to form the Pascagoula River. The Chickasawhay flows past the towns of Stonewall

Stonewall, Mississippi

Stonewall is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,149 at the 2000 census.-History:A cotton mill was established here in 1868 and was one of the first industries in Mississippi. The town was named after General T.J...

, Quitman

Quitman, Mississippi

Quitman is a city in Clarke County, Mississippi, USA, along the Chickasawhay River. The population was 2,463 at the 2000 census. The county seat of Clarke County, it is the hometown of San Antonio Spurs power forward Antonio McDyess and the birthplace of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper.-Geography:Quitman...

, Shubuta

Shubuta, Mississippi

Shubuta is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. Shubuta was incorporated in 1865. It had become a trading post community in the 1830s, but it was not until the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed under the Indian Removal Act and the Choctaw ceded the land to the United...

, Waynesboro

Waynesboro, Mississippi

Waynesboro is a city in Wayne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,197 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Waynesboro is located at , just east of the Chickasawhay River....

, and Leakesville

Leakesville, Mississippi

Leakesville is a town located along the Chickasawhay River in Greene County, Mississippi, United States located around the junction of route 57 and route 63. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,026...

.

External links

• Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry