The Kansas (or Kaw) River is a river in northeastern Kansas, named for the Kaw people which once dwelt on its shores. It begins at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers near Junction City and flows eastward to join the Missouri River on the eastern border of Kansas. Some of the cities it passes through are Manhattan, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. Its most important affluents include the Big Blue and Little Blue rivers.
