Rivers
Highlights of some of the World’s Most
Famous Rivers!
Directions
• This Power Point presentation contains information about
some of the most famous rivers in the world!
• Students should use this presentation to help them with
their rivers project!
• Remember, consider the manner in which these rivers
affect their regions and the people who inhabit them
(Human Environment Interaction)
• All information has been taken from our course textbook.
What Are Rivers?
• River: a natural flow of water
that runs through the land
(p.H10)
• Pictured right is the Charles
River, the longest river located
entirely in Massachusetts at
approximately 80 miles long!
Essential Question
•List 2-3 reasons that might
explain why the earliest
human settlements chose
to live near rivers?
Why Are Rivers Important? The Case of Ancient
India!
• An Ancient Empire existed in modern India near the
Indus River Valley from 3500 BCE- 1500 BCE
•
This civilization may have had a population of up to 5
million people!
• Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were the two most
significant urban centers which have been excavated by
archaeologists
• This Empire extended from the Himalayas to the
Arabian Sea and included:
• Trade networks
• Systems of government
• Cities with paved roads and
• The world’s first sewer system!
• By 1500 BCE this civilization was gone!
• Where did it go?
Decline of the Indus River Civilization: 1500 BCE
• One theory which may explain the
decline of the Empire involves
climate change
• Modern satellite imagery confirms
the remains of an ancient river bed
which dried up around 1500 BCE
• It is possible that the shifting of
this river forced migration
towards the Ganges River plain,
thus ending the Indus River
civilization
The Great Rivers of the World! (The Shannon River
in Ireland, pictured below)
Rivers of the Atlantic South American Region: The Amazon River
• The Amazon River
• World’s largest river system
• Flows eastward across Northern
Brazil
• About 4,000 miles long
• Contains about 20% of all water that
runs off the Earth’s surface
• Images of the Amazon on the next
slide!
The Parana River
• Drains much of central
South America
• Flows into Rio de la Plata
and the Atlantic ocean
• The Rio de la Plata is an
estuary
• Estuary- a partially
enclosed body of water
where freshwater mixes
with salty seawater
Iguazu Falls: Part of the Parana River
Essential Question
•Locate the Rio de la Plata estuary
•Based on the location of this estuary,
why does it make sense that an estuary
combines salt water and fresh water?
Rivers of Caribbean South America Region:
Orinoco River
•Region’s Largest
River
•Flows from
Venezuela
through the
Atlantic Ocean
Rivers of Central African Region:
The Congo River
• Hundreds of smaller rivers drain
Congo basin and flow into Congo
river
• River empties into Atlantic Ocean
• Many rapids and waterfalls
(especially near mouth)
• Impossible for ships to travel from
interior of Cent. Africa to Atlantic
• Important transportation route in
interior of continent
• Images of the rapids and waterfalls
Congo River Basin Landform
• Congo Basin
• Basin: a flat region surrounded by
higher land such as mountains and
plateaus
• Plateaus and low hills surround the
Congo Basin
• List 3 adjectives to describe the
Congo River Basin
• Images:
Zambezi River
• Flows eastward
toward the Indian
Ocean
• Most famous for:
• Victoria Falls
• List 3 adjectives to
describe the
Victoria Falls
Devil’s Pool
• Shallow rock pool near edge of
falls
• Safe for swimming during
September and December
• http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=0dQ8Pr2t6hQ
Rivers of the Western African Region:
The Niger River
• Region’s most
important river
• Starts in low
mountains near
Atlantic
• Flows 2,600 miles,
empties into Gulf of
Guinea
Life along the Niger
• Provides life giving water
to region
• Many people farm and fish
• Important transportation
route (especially in rainy
season)
• River floods in rainy
season
Rivers of the Northern African Region:
The Nile River
• World’s Longest River
• Formed by the Blue and
White Nile
• Flows Northward through
Eastern Sahara
• Over 4,000 miles long
• Empties into
Mediterranean Sea
Life Near the Nile River
• For centuries rain to
the far South
caused floods along
Northern Nile
• Floods left rich silt
in surrounding
field
• Silt: finely ground
fertile soil that is
good for growing
crops
Life Near the Nile River (cont)
• Farmers use water from the
Nile to irrigate fields
• “Like an Oasis in the Desert”
• Nile forms large Delta near
Med Sea
• Delta: landform at mouth of
river that is created by deposit
of sediment
• Sediment from Nile makes soil
extremely fertile for farming
The Nile River Allowed Ancient Egypt to
develop into a Highly Advanced Civilization
Impact of the Nile: The Aswan High Dam!
• Completed in 1970
• Controls flooding along the
Nile
• However, dam also traps silt!
• Today, some of Egypt’s
farmers must use fertilizer to
enrich soil!
Building project related to the Nile: The Suez Canal
• Built in the 1860s by the
French
• Narrow waterway
connecting the
Mediterranean sea and the
Red Sea
• Large Cargo ships carry
oil and trade goods
through the Suez Canal
Essential Question
•Based on the Map, list 2 reasons
why closure of the Suez canal
would hurt trade between Europe
and Asia?
The Nile River & Lake Victoria
• Lake Victoria
• Africa’s Largest Lake
• White Nile river is formed by
water that flows into Lake
Victoria
• Some Lakes in the region are
too hot for swimming!
• Images of Lake Victoria
include:
Lake Victoria (Satellite)
Rivers of the Southern African Region
• 3 major rivers:
• Okavango
• Orange
• Limpopo
• Okavango’s water never reaches
ocean
• Forms a swampy inland delta, home
to:
• Crocodiles, Zebras and Hippos
Augrabies Falls
• Orange River passes through
Augrabies Falls
• 19 separate waterfalls
• Limpopo river flows into
Indian Ocean
• Waterfalls block ships from
entering rivers
• Plenty of water to irrigate
farmland
Rivers of Asia: China
• Huang He or Yellow River
• Flows across Northern China
• Picks up large amounts of
loess along the way
• Loess: Fertile yellowish soil
• Soil colors the river yellow,
hence:
• The Yellow River!
Huang He River: Impact
• Huang He often floods in the
summer
• Floods enrich soil with loess
but:
• Between the years 1887-1943 10
million people died in floods
• Due to floods, Huang He is also
known as:
• China’s Sorrow
• 1931 flood: Killed between 1.7-3
million people
Chang Jiang or Yangzi River
• Chang Jiang or Yangzi River
• Flows across Central China
• Asia’s Longest River
• Major Transportation Route
• Essential Question:
• List 2 ways that living along
these 2 rivers can affect life
for the local population
Rivers of Asia: India
• The Ganges River
• 1,560 Miles Long
• Rises in the Himalayas Mountains
and empties into the Bay of Bengal
• Supports hundreds of millions of
people!
• Also very important religiously and
spiritually for the native Indian
religion of Hinduism
The Ganges River
Sources:
• Images:
• http://cdn1.bostonmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/charles-river-main.jpg
• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKvz5DlNviY/UDW_RFrrFnI/AAAAAAAABKQ/qg5a7uotUE/s1600/64618881c9.png
• "Athlone" by Ingo Mehling - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athlone.jpg#/media/File:Athlone.jpg
• http://www.all-about-india.com/images/ganges-map-simple.jpg
• "Varanasiganga" by Babasteve - http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=3267702&context=set781175&size=o. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Varanasiganga.jpg#/media/File:Varanasiganga.jpg
• Information:
• http://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-River
• Course Textbook