Ticino

Ticino River, old (Latin) Ticinus, river, a tributary of the Po River, beginning at around 8,000 feet in the Swiss section of the Alpilepoutine mountains near Novena Pass, Switzerland, and draining an area of 2,790 square miles, largely in Italy. The river is 154 miles long, running southeast through the Leventina valley, then west to Lake Maggiore, Italy, where it is joined by the Toce River via road and rail from the St. Gotthard Pass. It then runs southeast into the Po River 4 miles southeast of Pavia in a floodplain 1–2 miles wide and 30–50 feet below the surrounding North Italian lowland.

Ticino is at its highest in May and November, and at its lowest in September and late winter. The river and its tributaries above Lake Maggiore in the Swiss Ticino canton are an important source of hydroelectric power for Switzerland; the Toce River and its tributaries also feed Italy. The Ticino River is impassable by boat. The river's two main towns are Bellinzona and Pavia.

Length: 154 miles