river basin
Water collection zone
A river basin is the entire area of land drained by a river and all its tributaries—every stream, creek, and rivulet that eventually feeds into the main river.
The basin is defined by topography: rain falling anywhere within it flows toward the same outlet.
The Amazon basin covers nearly three million square miles.
Also called a drainage basin or watershed.
- catchment areaZone where precipitation collects
- bankPlace holding deposits
- water cycleContinuous planetary moisture movement
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
- seasonal floodingRegular overflow tied to weather cycles
hydrography · confluence · aquifers · fresh water · drinking water · snowmelt · dam construction · fish · reservoir · irrigation · alluvial · sediment · canyon · valley · gorge · mouth · meandering · catchment
- water managementwater supply, dam, water district, water authority, water allocation
- Godavarisource, mouth, tributaries, Bay of Bengal, floodplains
- Yadkin Valleywineries, viticulture, winemaking, local wines, tasting rooms
- freshwaterponds, freshwater lake, creek, brook, pond life
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- water resourcesfreshwater, aquifers, water supply, water storage, aquifer
river basindrainage divide
Boundary separating river basins
continental divide · ridge line · mountain crest · headwaters · river delta
river basinriver channel
Path carved by flow
creek · rivulet · brook · watercourse · stream bed
river, basin, derive, rivers, watershed, tributary, rivulet, riverbed, streambed