Rivers are moving bodies of water.

River Thames

A river originates in the mountains, and flows into a sea, a lake or another river.

The river originates in the

mountains The river flows into a sea, a

lake or another river

For example…

A river that flows into an ocean: River Tajo

For example

A river that flows into another river:Guadarrama river flows into Tajo River.

For example

A river that flows into a lake:River Ter (Gerona) flows into Lago de

Bañolas

- The course We canDistinguish 3 - The flowelements in a river - The flow regime

The course of a river is the route which a river takes from its source to the mouth.

This is the

source of the river

This is the

mouth of the river

This is the COURSE of

the river

There are 3 courses:

Upper course

Middle course

Lower course

It is near the source. Here, the river is narrow.The river bed is steep, so the water moves

fast.

Here, the river is wider. The river bed is flatter, so the water flows slowly.

In the middle course, the river forms curves. These curves are called meanderings.

This is a meandering

It is near the mouth of the river.The river is wide here. The river bed is very

flat, so the water moves very slowly.

What is the flow of a river?

It is the amount of water that a river carries.

The more precipitacion there is, the greater the flow will be.

Water can also be found in other places on the surface of the Earth.

Torrents

Lakes

Reservoirs

They are streams of water which form after heavy rains

They are large bodies of water surrounded by land.

They are man – made lakes.

They produce energy, irrigate fields and supply water to urban areas. Canals and irrigation chanels are used for transporting water from a reservoir to other places.

Reservoir in Hillsborough County

Reservoir in Hillsborough County

Rivers that flow into the same sea belong to the same watershed (vertiente).

The rivers in Spain flow into three different seas, in other words, they belong to three watersheds: Cantabrian watershed Mediterranean watershed Atlantic watershed

Meter imagen de vertientes hidrográficas

It has short, swift rivers.

They have a regular flow regime and abundant flow.

The most important rivers are the Nervion, Saja, Navia and Nalón

It occupies about one third of Spain.

With the exception of the Ebro, the rivers are short and have irregular regimes.

During rainy seasons, they may overflow.In the summer, they may dry up.

The most important rivers are the Ebro, the Júcar, the Segura and de Llobregat

Ebro River

It is the most plentiful river of Mediterranean basin.

It occupies more than half the area of Spain.

The rivers have abundant flows and regular flows regimes.

In the summer they carry less water.

The most important rivers are the Miño, the Duero, the Tagus, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir