The Satilla River rises in Ben Hill County, Georgia, United States, near the town of Fitzgerald, and flows in a mostly easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its approximately 235-mile (378 km) course are the cities of Waycross, Waynesville, and Woodbine. The Satilla drains almost 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2) of land, all of it in the coastal plain of southeastern Georgia. It has white sandbars and is the largest blackwater river situated entirely within Georgia. The Satilla enters the Atlantic Ocean about 10 miles (16 km) south of Brunswick, at the 31st parallel north. Satilla River Marsh Island The river derives its name from a Spanish officer named Saint Illa, and over time the name was corrupted to form the word Satilla. French explorer Jean Ribault named the river the Somme when he encountered it in 1562. The river was later given the name Aisne by Jacques le Moyne.