The Mersey River, formerly known as Rivière Rossignol by the Acadians, 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...

 in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is named after the River Mersey

River Mersey

The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....

 in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The river proper flows from the eastern end of Eleven Mile Lake in Annapolis County

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...

 southward to Kejimkujik Lake

Kejimikujik Lake

Kejimikujik lake is the namesake lake and the largest lake in Kejimkujik National Park. The work 'Kejimkujik' is agreed by all to be a word derived from the Mi'kmaq language, but depending on the source will be said to mean "attempting to escape" or "swollen waters"...

 in Kejimkujik National Park

Kejimkujik National Park

Kejimkujik National Park is part of the Canadian National Parks system, located in the province of Nova Scotia...

, then through Lake Rossignol

Lake Rossignol

Lake Rossignol is the largest freshwater lake in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located in the south-western area of the province.A reservoir, it was created in 1929 when the Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited dammed the Mersey River at Indian Gardens to generate electricity for a pulp mill ...

 to empty into the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 at the town of Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...

. The true source of the river however is as far northwest as Sandy Bottom Lake (Annapolis County

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...

) or Tuskopeake Brook (Annapolis County

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...

) on the northern tributary.

The river was a major transportation route for the Mi'kmaq people of Nova Scotia. Later, it was used to transport logs out of the interior of the province. The river was described in Albert Bigelow Paine

Albert Bigelow Paine

Albert Bigelow Paine was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humour, and verse....

's The Tent Dwellers

The Tent Dwellers

The Tent Dwellers is a book by Albert Bigelow Paine, chronicling his travels through inland Nova Scotia on a trout fishing trip with Dr. Edward "Eddie" Breck, and with guides Charles "the Strong" and Del "the Stout", one June in the early 1900s...

, albeit under the name 'Liverpool river'. Now, there are a number of hydroelectric projects on the river.

Tributaries of this river include the:

• Shelburne River
  Shelburne River
  The Shelburne River is a 53 km long river in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a wilderness river and is a tributary of Mersey River. It starts in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area.The Shelburne River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1997.- References :...
  
  
• West River
• Little River