The River Humber originates at the confluence of the River Ouse and River Trent. It stretches 40 miles (64km) east, where it meets the North Sea on the east coast of England. Traditionally, it has formed the border between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The Humber Bridge was constructed over the river in 1981 and is the longest suspension bridge in the UK.
In his poem "To His Coy Mistress", Andrew Marvell contrasts the mundane, local, commercial (and thus secular) River Humber with the sacred, faraway, exotic Ganges River. Marvell grew up around the river and as an adult represented Hull as an MP for 20 years. His father, Rev. Andrew Marvell, drowned while crossing the river in 1640.
There is a Humber River in Ontario which was presumably named after the one in England.
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