River

Rivers are large natural bodies of water that flows from a source high above to either a sea, lake or ocean at a lower level. The water is usually freshwater, that is, without salt. Small rivers are often called creeks, brooks or other terms. Rivers can be a good source of fish for food.

Although it is an A.I. creation, the purpose of this is to illustrate a town on the banks of a river. People wouldn't normally live so close to the river in case in floods.

River Facts

The largest River in the world is the Nile river in Africa.
Old Cities were built on the banks of rivers so that goods could be transported along them.
It was once thought Mars had rivers because of canyons spotted on Mars and were thought of as rivers.
Rivers can end as either
- Mouth like River Thames in the United Kingdom.
- Delta like the River Mississippi in the United States.
Rivers can be dammed so that they can be used to produce electricity.
Although no river has been discovered on any other planet presently, there's nothing to assume that they can't exist elsewhere.
Rivers are freshwater as opposed to the saltwater of the oceans (don't drink without some knowledge of the river, though). As freshwater, they are typically used for water for taps because they are easier. There are desalination plants that can obtain drinking water from the ocean but are more expensive to build and operate.

River Importance

Rivers have influenced where people site places to live. They use them to transport goods from place to place. The Romans built London because of its location, which is not too wide that a bridge could not be built across it. The River Ganges is highly revered in the Hindu Religion and has been personified by the goddess Ganga. Hindus flock to bathe in the Ganges even though it is polluted by industry on river banks. As most rivers are fresh and contain limited or not at all salt, they are used by many people as a water source. Water is removed from the river, cleared of impurities, and pumped into houses. It is said that water could be used at least four times before it finishes the end of its journey. Water would be pulled from the river, purified, used, returned to the river and then pulled again for use.

Renewable Energy

In the olden days and to a lesser extent nowadays, water provides energy for a mill through a wheel which, as it turns, produces the momentum needed for the task (e.g. flour, textile production). Nowadays, rivers are dammed so that they can be used to provide electricity for the local population. When a dam is built, land on the side closest to the source is flooded. As water passes through the dam, turbines generate electricity. As land has to be flooded, damming is highly controversial and can result in the loss of land used by animals and humans.

The largest dams in the world, including the number one, The Three Gorges Dam, are in China. The Hoover Dam in America has been designed to work without minimal if any, human interaction. If humans were to disappear in a blink of an eye, the dam would continue producing electricity long after other electricity producers have ceased.

Start to End

River starts high and then flows down to the end, which can either be a Delta or a Mouth. A river can have multiple sources which later merge into one. The River Nile is a good example of this. It has two main contributory rivers called the Blue and the White Nile. The source is usually where the rainwater collects or where ice has melted.

Along the way, smaller tributaries can run into the main river. The tributary River Lea starts from Luton and discharges into the River Thames. Along the way, the river can drop many feet, known as a waterfall. As mentioned above, the river can generate electricity through dams or water turbines placed on the river.

Rivers can change their route and eventually break off part as it curves, causing an oxbow lake. The creation of an oxbow lake can take place over tens or hundreds of years. The river will either end at a mouth or a delta, where the river splits into smaller rivers before ending in a lake, sea or ocean.

Waterfalls

The largest waterfall is the Angel Falls in Venezuela, 3212ft high. It is not named because of religious angels but in honour of American pilot James Crawford Angel who landed on the mountain where the water runs off. He spent 11 days climbing down, leading his party, including his wife, to safety. The next largest is the Victoria Falls, named after Queen Victoria of Britain by Scottish explorer Doctor David (I presume) Livingstone. Its volume is much greater than that of Angel Falls. It is located on the borders of Northern Zimbabwe and Southern Zambia. Some waterfalls can cause the corrosion of the rock and force the creation of a canyon, as the River Colorado has done with the Grand Canyon. The canyon took over six million years to create.

Flooding

When rivers become too full, water will spill over onto the land. Flooding can happen after ice thawing at the end of winter or when it has rained for a long period. The ground can only soak up much water it overspills onto the land. Properties that are built on flood plains are worst hit.

Short List of Rivers

Position	River	Start	End	Destination	End Type	Length
1	Nile	Ethiopia	Alexandria, Egypt	Mediterranean Sea	Delta	4135
2	Amazon	Nevado Mismi, Peru	Brazil	Atlantic Ocean	Delta	3980
3	Yangtze	China	China	East China Sea	Delta	3917
4	Mississippi/Missouri	Lake Itasca, America	America	Gulf of Mexico	Delta	3902
5	Yenisei	Tuva, Russia/Darkhad, Mongolia	Mongolia	Sea of Kara		3445
8	Congo	Lakes in Congo	Congo	Atlantic Ocean		4700
13	Niger		Nigeria	Gulf of Guinea	Delta	2611
15	Volga	Valdai Hills, Russia	Russia	Caspian Sea	Mouth	2266
29	Danube	Breg/St. Georgen, Germany	Romania	Black Sea	Delta	1771
39	Ganges	Gangotri Glacier, India	Bangladesh	Bay of Bengal	Delta	1560
93	Colorado	La Poudre Pass Lake, America	America	Gulf of Mexico	Mouth	1450
111	Rhine	Graubunden	Germany	North Sea	Delta	820
	Seine	Burgundy, France	Le Harve, France	North Sea	Mouth	482
	Thames	Thames Mead, England	South[End], England	English Channel	Mouth	215

Last Modified : February 2025

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