The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is the largest river in volume flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the Western Hemisphere, and is the second largest by volume in North America behind the Mississippi. In rare years, the river’s flow may actually exceed that of the Mississippi.
Columbia River was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1966 to 1986. The riding's predecessor, which was named Columbia, appeared on the hustings from 1903 to 1963. The successor riding in this region is the current Columbia River-Revelstoke riding.