ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER

river in northeastern New Hampshire and southern Maine, U.S. It flows south from Umbabog Lake to Gorham, N.H., east to Jay, Maine, and then south again to the Atlantic Ocean. In its 175-mile (280-kilometre) course, the river descends more than 1,245 feet (379 m), the two steepest drops occurring at Berlin, N.H., and at Rumford, Maine. The major products of the communities in its drainage basin are pulp and paper (because of the abundance of waterpower, process water, and spruce-fir forests), textiles (in Lewiston, Maine), and shoes (in Auburn, Maine). The Androscoggin (an Algonquian Indian word for fish-curing place) is known for its fishing, hunting, and boating facilities.