waterways
Rivers and canals
Waterways are navigable bodies of water—rivers, canals, channels, or coastal routes used for transportation or commerce.
The term emphasizes the water's function as a passage: The Mississippi was once America's most vital commercial waterway.
Waterways may be natural or artificial, like the canals connecting the Great Lakes.
Stream entering larger river
- streamSteady continuous flow
- brookSmall flowing watercourse
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
- meanderTo travel without direction
confluence · rapids · estuary · floodplain · gorge · bank · current · oxbow
Security fastening devices
- bargesFlat-hulled freight vessels
- gondolasNarrow poled watercraft
- towpathsRoutes beside navigable waterways
- aqueductsChannels conveying water distances
dredging · levees · culverts · floodgates · Venice · Suez · Panama · irrigation
Transported goods
- freightGoods being transported
- vesselsCarriers or containers
- maritimeOf the sea
- tugboatsVessels that push ships
port · dockyard · containerization · stevedoring · wharfage · tankers · ferries · harbor
Tethered nautical signal
- lighthouseCoastal beacon tower
- chartData shown visually
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- pilotageShip navigation expertise
tides · currents · sonar · radar · GPS · anchor · helm · rudder
Water-saturated terrain
- mangrovesSalt-water coastal trees
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
flora · fauna · marsh · swamp · reed · heron · otter · salmon
Artificial water supply for agriculture
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- drinkingLiquid consumption act
- sanitationCleanliness for public health
- fishingCatching aquatic creatures
transport · trade · sustenance · potable · hydropower · mills · resource · community
tributary
Stream entering larger river
meander · confluence · rapids · estuary · floodplain · gorge · bank · current · oxbow · channel
locks
Security fastening devices
- bargesFlat-hulled freight vessels
- gondolasNarrow poled watercraft
- towpathsRoutes beside navigable waterways
aqueducts · dredging · levees · culverts · floodgates · Venice · Suez · Panama · irrigation · navigation
cargo
Transported goods
tugboats · port · dockyard · containerization · stevedoring · wharfage · tankers · ferries · harbor · quay
buoy
Tethered nautical signal
- lighthouseCoastal beacon tower
- chartData shown visually
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
pilotage · tides · currents · sonar · radar · GPS · anchor · helm · rudder · nautical
wetlands
Water-saturated terrain
- mangrovesSalt-water coastal trees
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
riparian · flora · fauna · marsh · swamp · reed · heron · otter · salmon · spawning
irrigation
Artificial water supply for agriculture
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- drinkingLiquid consumption act
- sanitationCleanliness for public health
fishing · transport · trade · sustenance · potable · hydropower · mills · resource · community · subsistence
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, lakes, groundwater, hydrology
- Nile Deltasediment, papyrus, Rosetta, irrigation canals, wetlands
- river deltasNile Delta, Mississippi Delta, Ganges Delta, Mekong Delta, distributary
- Venice mapsGrand Canal, Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Square, island maps, tourist maps
- Carolina CoastCharleston, Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, Oak Island, salt marshes
- Dutch-Belgian InfrastructureSchiphol, canals, dikes, levees, A1
waterwaysroads
Paved paths for vehicles
railways · highways · roadways · overland routes · rail lines
waterwaysdry land
Earth above water
terra firma · solid ground · arid terrain · highlands · uplands