The characteristics of rivers

 How do we describe rivers?

Rivers form on mountains and flow downhill into seas, lakes or other rivers. They have: 

• fresh water. 

• a source where the river begins. 

• a mouth where the river ends. 

• a course, which is the journey of the river from the source to the mouth. 

• tributaries, which are smaller rivers that join the main river. 

• meanders, which are bends in the river.

What are the different parts of the course of a river?

We divide the course of the river into three sections. 

• The upper course is close to the source. The water moves fast and carries sand and pebbles with it. 

• The middle course flows over flat land and joins with tributaries. It has meanders. 

• The lower course is close to the mouth. The water moves slowly and deposits the sand and pebbles.

What are the characteristics of a river?

The characteristics of a river depend on the climate and relief of the landscape. We study three main characteristics: 

• The length of the river is the distance from the source to the mouth.

Tajo

Amazon

Nile

 • The discharge is the amount of water. 

• The regime is the change in discharge. A stable regime means the amount of water the river carries doesn’t change very much. A variable regime means the amount of water changes over the year

Variable regime

Stable regime

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