River

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

The River Thames in England. People have lived along the banks of this river for thousands of years.

A river is a stream of water that flows through a "channel" (or passage) in the surface of the ground. The passage where the river flows is called the riverbed and the earth on each side is called a riverbank. A river begins on high ground or in hills or mountains and flows down from the high ground to the lower ground, because of gravity. A river begins as a small stream and gets bigger, the further that it flows.

The water in a river is called "fresh water". It comes from rain or snow and it can usually be drunk safely, unless it has been polluted. The water in a sea cannot be drunk safely because it is "salt water". Both people and animals often live near rivers, because they need water to survive.

1 About rivers
2 Using rivers
3 Rivers in art, literature and music
- 3.1 Rivers in photography
4 Important rivers
5 Other types of rivers
6 See also

[change] About rivers

[change] The beginning of a river

The beginning of a river is called its "source" or its "headwaters". The part of the river that is near the source is called a "young river". A young river is often in a V-shaped river bed, and flows quickly downhill over stones, and around big rocks. Young rivers often have lots of small waterfalls.

The source of a river may be a spring, often on a hill, mountain, or another high place. A spring is water that flows out from under the ground.
The source of a river may be a lake where lots of water from small streams gathers when it rains or snows.
A river may begin in mountains where there is snow. The melting snow runs together to form a small stream that runs down the mountain. As more little streams run in, the main stream gets bigger, until it forms a river.
Some rivers flow from hills where there is no snow, but lots of rain.
Some rivers only flow after there has been rain at the "headwaters".

The headwaters of the Arkansas River

The Soča River begins in the mountains of Slovenia.

Waterfalls are most often found in a "young river".

This river in Northern Australia only runs after heavy rain.

[change] The middle part of a river

The middle part of a river is called a "mature river". A mature river makes a riverbed that is U-shaped. It might be very deep and run fast. It sweeps over small rocks and bolders, and makes big turns around hills and mountains. It is much wider than a "young river", but not as wide as an "old river". To cross over a mature river, people use bridges. Many cities and towns are built on the banks of mature rivers. Many farms that keep animals such as dairy cows, horses and sheep are found along mature rivers because the animals can drink from the river every day.

Clearwater River in Alberta is a "mature river".

The Severn River flowing through farmland.

The Rhine River valley has many towns.

The city of Florence was built beside the Arno River.

[change] The last part of a river

A river usually ends by flowing into an ocean, a lake or a bigger river. The place where the river flows out into a bigger body of water is called the "mouth" of the river.

As a river flows towards its mouth, the countryside around the river often changes from hilly to flat. As it flows over the flat land the river becomes wider and slower. A wide slow river is called an "old river". An "old river" often floods across the land after there is lots of rain at the "headwaters". An "old river" slowly builds up its banks on either side; the high banks are called "levees". An old river often "meanders" (twists and turns), and sometimes, after a flood, it leaves lakes behind which are called "ox-bows" or "billabongs". Old rivers are the most useful type of river for growing crops. Corn, rice, fruit, cotton, hay, tobacco and sugar are some of the crops that are grown near old rivers.

Where a river flows out to the sea, it sometimes flows very slowly through sandy or muddy land, making lots of little islands as it flows. The main stream of the river gets broken into many parts that spread out into a triangle shape like the Greek letter "Delta". When this happens, it is called the "delta" of the river. Deltas are often places that are not good for towns or farms but are very good for birds and other wildlife. Deltas are often made into wildlife reserves. Not all rivers have deltas. There are famous deltas on the Nile River, the Amazon River, the Mekong River and the Danube River.

The Nowitna is an "old river" with meanders and ox-bow lakes

The delta of the Ganges River in India

The grassy islands of the Okavango delta are the home of elephants, lions and flamingos.

Cities are often found near the mouth of a river.

[change] Using rivers

The water in rivers is "fresh water" that has come from rain, snow and from underground streams. It can be drunk safely by people unless it is too dirty because of mud or human pollution. People and animals need fresh water to drink, so they often live by the side of a river.

Rivers give water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes.
Rivers give water for cattle and other animals to drink and for people to grow plants.
Rivers give products that are useful to people such as fish for food, clay for bricks and reeds to make the roofs of houses.
Rivers can be used for transporting people, crops and other goods by boat.
Rivers can be used to give power to turn machinery such as water mills.
Rivers give water for factories that make cloth, steel and many other products.
Rivers sometimes have dams to hold the water for people to drink, or to make electricity.
Rivers can be used for leisure and sports such as swimming, boating, fishing and just walking by the river.
Rivers often have beautiful scenery. Many painters, story-tellers and poets have painted or written about rivers.

[change] Water for living

Two elephants have been taken to a river to bath and drink.

A floating market on the Mekong River

Transport on the Niger River

Fishing boats on the Bani River in Mali

[change] Water for industry

The Ohio River gives water for food crops.

A wool weaving factory on the Klyazma River.

Cargo containers waiting for transport from North River Port, Moscow.

Dams are built across rivers to store water and make electric power.

[change] Water for fun

Canoeing is a popular river sport.

Walking by the river, Dovedale, England

Competition fishing in the Elbe River

Racing in a "regatta" at Henley, England.

[change] Rivers in art, literature and music

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, (novel)
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, (novel)

[change] Rivers in photography

The Mekong River at dawn.	Narewka River runs through a nature reserve in Poland	A forest reflected in a river in Sweden	Evening on the Brahmaputra River, India
Sunset in Coquitlam, Canada	Hong Kong river reflections.	"Moon River" is a song by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini	Taieri River, Otago

[change] Important rivers

the Amazon River in South America is a very wide tropical river flowing through the Amazon Jungle and into the Atlantic Ocean through a large delta. Many types of fish live in it. It is the largest river in the world.
the Nile River in Africa. For thousands of years this river has provided the people of Egypt with water to help their food grow. Cairo, the biggest city in Egypt and Africa, is built near the Nile's delta on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the longest river in the world.
the Mississippi River in the United States. Many crops are grown along the sides of the Mississippi. It was also used for transport. The Mississippi flows through the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
the Yangtze River, a very large river in China, the third longest in the world, and the longest in Asia
the Rhine River
the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates
the Ganges River
the Mekong River
the River Danube
the Volga River
the St. Lawrence River
the Murray River in Australia, 1609 miles in length.
the Congo River
the Niger River
the River Thames
the Tiber River

[change] Other types of rivers

A submarine river is a stream of water that flows along under the surface of an ocean. One of them, named the Cromwell current, was found in 1952. ("Sub marine" means "under sea".)
A subterranean river is a river which flows under the surface of the earth. One of them was found in August 1958 under the Nile River. ("Sub terranean" means "under ground".)

[change] See also