A river is a large stream
of fresh flowing water,
usually emptying into
the sea.
High in the hills or
mountains, small
streams gather to form
a river.
It flows in a channel.
The Nile River is the longest river in
the world, stretching for 6,695km.
The Nile has three major tributaries
and it flows through ten independent
nations: Egypt, Sudan, Rwanda,
Uganda, Tanzania, Zaire, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Eritrea and Burundi.
The Nile River on a Map
A tributary is a stream or river
which flows into another river
(a parent river)
The source of a river or stream is the
original point from which the river flows.
The Amazon River is 6,437km long.
Calillona, Peru is the source. The Amazon
River is the world's second longest river.
Only the Nile, in Africa, is longer. The
Amazon however, at any one point in time
has the highest amount of water flowing
down it. No other river even comes close. It
may not be the longest, but it is the widest.
The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and third longest
in the world. The river has over 700 tributaries and measures
6300km.
The Amazon rainforest is the home of over 300 species of mammals, thousands of
freshwater fish, tens of thousands of trees and nearly a hundred thousand other plants.
The Amazon is home to the piranha, one of the world's most
terrifying fish. Up to 60 cm long, piranhas hunt in shoals, or
packs, and can kill cattle or humans and strip the flesh from
their bones in a few minutes.
The Jaguar is
the largest
member of
the cat family
outside Asia
and Africa.
An Anaconda at rest. When it is
hungry, it will uncoil itself and lie still in
the water with only its eyes above the
surface, waiting for prey.
The Zambezi is in Africa and it measures
2,736km. It originates in north western
Zambia, formerly Rhodesia, and flows
through Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
and finally to Mozambique. Here it
empties into the Indian Ocean.
The most spectacular spot along the river is
in Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls which is one of
the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Zambezi River is widely used by wildlife
and humans alike. Hippos, crocodiles,
baboons, elephants, hyenas and lions are
some examples of wildlife you might find
along the Zambezi
The Thames is the river at the heart of
English and British History. It is fairly
short by world standards, only 346km long
from its beginning at Thames Head
to its end at the lighthouse at Nore.
The Thames is actually the combination of
four rivers, the Isis, the Churn, the Coln and
the Leach.
Rivers have always been important for travel,
transportation and trade.
A coal barge on the
Ohio River
Most settlements were built along major rivers.
Rivers are important for farming
Rivers are also
important for farming
because river valleys
and plains provide fertile
soils.
Farmers in dry regions
irrigate their cropland
using water carried by
irrigation ditches from
nearby rivers.
Rivers are also an important energy source.
Poland, Czorsztyn (Niedzica) hydroelectric power plant
During the early industrial era, mills, shops, and factories were built near fastflowing rivers where water could be used to power machines.
Today steep rivers are still used to power hydroelectric plants and
their water turbines.