The parts of a river and some concepts of hydrography

River, creek, stream, stream, lake, etc., these are some of the names for the watercourses.

In short, the river is a natural water stream whose flow is intended for the sea, to a lake or even to another river. Meanwhile, creek, stream or creek designate shallower, narrower rivers, with less extension or volume of water.

Of great relevance for the geographic space, the water of the rivers makes possible the system of irrigation of the food, the supply of water for the people, the generation of the electricity, between others.

In addition, it is possible to carry out fishing activity in them, being a relevant source of food for families, and economic activity, in some cases.

parts of a river

There are some important concepts that designate the parts of the river. Check out:

Spring or Head: Place where the river originates. Some call it a source, mine, spout, spring or even water hole.

Bed: Space that the river runs through.

flow rate: Amount of water flowing through a given section of the river.

Margin: Land or rocks where they meet water.

Mouth or mouth: It is the space where a stream of water flows. Thus, a river can have another river, a sea, an ocean or even a lagoon as its mouth.

Confluence: Term that designates the junction of two or more rivers.

tributary: Watercourse that flows into a main river or lake, which are the food of the main river.

Sub-tributary: The river that flows into the tributary river.

Meander: The watercourse curve.

Downstream: The direction of the current in the watercourse, from the source towards the mouth.

Amount: The opposite direction in which the river flows, towards the source.

hydrographic concepts

In addition to the concepts of the river, it is important to understand three definitions regarding hydrography to better understand watercourses.

1. Plateau rivers: Mostly flowing and with waterfalls, they run in highlands. They are also used to generate electricity or for tourism.
2. Plain rivers: They run in flat areas and are excellent waters for navigation.
3. Hydrographic basin: It synthesizes all the elements of a river, as well as the land drained by the watercourse.

Read too:

• South Atlantic Watershed
• Eastern Northeast Atlantic Watershed – location, area, vegetation, economy
• Western Northeast Atlantic Watershed – location, extension, vegetation, economy, environmental problems
• Paraguay Hydrographic Basin – Extension, location, map, economy, Pantanal
• São Francisco River Basin – Extension, route, states
• Amazon Watershed