6º Summary about rivers

RIVERS

Hydrography is the study of the waters of the Earth (oceans, lakes, rivers, seas...).
Rivers are natural fresh water that flow into the sea, lakes or another rivers.
Tributaries are rivers that flow into another rivers.

ELEMENTS (PART) OF THE RIVERS

The main elements (PARTS) are:

• The source: where the water emerges.
• The mouth: where the river ends.
• The course. It is divided into three parts:
• Upper course: next to the source (mountain), with much erosion.
• Middle course: between the upper course and the lower course, with erosion and sedimentation.
• Lower course: next to the mouth, with much sedimentation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIVERS

There are three characteristics:

• The lenght: the distance of the river.
• The discharge: the amount of water of the river.
• The regime: is the discharge variation depending on the season. It can be stable regime (the discharge is constant), or variable regime (the discharge varies).

These characteristics depend on two factors:

• The relief.
• The climate.

ACTIVITIES:

1. What is the hydrography?

2. What are rivers?

3. What is a tributary?

4. How many parts does a river have? Which ones?

5. Name the characteristics of the rivers.