The Amite River /ˈeɪ.mɛt/ (French: Rivière Amite) is a tributary of Lake Maurepas in Mississippi and Louisiana in the United States. It is about 117 miles (188 km) long.[2] It starts as two forks in southwestern Mississippi and flows south through Louisiana, passing Greater Baton Rouge, to Lake Maurepas. The lower 37 miles (59.5 km) of the river is navigable. A portion of the river is diverted via the Petite Amite River and Amite Diversion Canal to the Blind River, which also flows to Lake Maurepas.

Amite River
Amite River watershed
Etymology	French amitié ("friendship"), or Choctaw himmita ("young")[1]
Location
Country	United States
State	Mississippi, Louisiana
Counties	Lincoln, Amite
Parishes	East Feliciana, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston
City	Denham Springs
Physical characteristics
Source	West Fork Amite River
• location	Amite County, Mississippi
• coordinates	31°19′19″N 90°43′40″W
2nd source	East Fork Amite River
• location	Lincoln County, Mississippi
• coordinates	31°26′05″N 90°37′12″W
Source confluence
• location	St. Helena Parish and East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
• coordinates	30°59′38″N 90°50′06″W
Mouth	Lake Maurepas
• location	Livingston Parish, Louisiana
• coordinates	30°17′53″N 90°33′37″W
Length	117 mi (188 km)
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Comite River, Bayou Manchac

Name

Amite could be an name derived from the Choctaw language meaning "young", although folk etymology holds it to be a corruption of the French amitié meaning "friendship".[3]

Gallery

• 
  An excursion steamer on the Amite River, c. 1895

See also

• 2016 Louisiana floods
• List of Louisiana rivers
• List of rivers of Mississippi

References

External links

• Amite River Basin Commission
• Excerpt about Amité River from The Free State - A History and Place-Names Study of Livingston Parish, US Genweb
• Columbia Gazetteer of North America, Bartleby website