Geo Facts
Water Cycle
Parts of a River
Famous Rivers
Concepts
100
River deltas are usually formed in what shape?
Triangles
100
What makes the water cycle keep going on?
The sun.
100
What do we call the place where tributaries join?
A confluence.
100
What is the muddiest river in the world?
The Yellow River
100
What are three ways that humans use rivers?
Drinking water, cooking, cleaning, sports, farming/irrigating.
200
Which continent has no rivers?
Antarctica
200
How can rivers keep flowing in dry weather?
Because of groundwater or melting snow from the mountains.
200
Where is the highest point of a river?
At its source.
200
Which river has the largest drainage basin in the world?
The Amazon
200
Why don't some rivers reach the sea? (2 reasons)
Because of water being held in reservoirs for hydroelectricity, or too much water being diverted for irrigation.
300
Where do most major Asian rivers begin?
Glaciers in the Himalayas.
300
What are three different ways that precipitation can fall as?
Rain, snow, hail (ice balls), freezing rain (sleet).
300
Where is the lowest point of the river?
At its mouth
300
Name three of the most important rivers in Africa.
The Niger, The Congo, The Zambezi, The Nile
300
What are three ways that humans have changed rivers?
They have dammed them for electricity. They have polluted them. They have taken made fish or other animals (Yangtze River Dolphin) extinct.
400
What are the two tributaries of the Nile River?
The Blue Nile and the White Nile
400
How does water get from the ocean into the rivers? (Explain the water cycle)
The sun heats up the ocean or sea, causing evaporation. The water vapor rises into the sky, then cools and condenses into clouds. The clouds move over the land, when they reach land, they rise and cool, causing precipitation. The rain falls to the ground the runs off the surface into streams, which then flow into larger rivers.
400
Explain how gorges form?
When water flows over a rocky ledge, it erodes the soft rock lying under the hard surface rock, creating a waterfall. The waterfall slowly erodes the edge of the waterfall pushing back the edge. Over thousands of years, the waterfall retreats, leaving behind a narrow gorge.
400
Name the four longest rivers in the world.
The Nile, The Amazon, The Yangtze, The Mississippi-Missouri
400
Explain the historical importance of rivers. Give specific examples.
Without rivers, there would have been no ancient civilizations. Fresh water was essential for irrigation, which led to farming, which led to cities and civilization. Fresh water also allowed humans to cook, clean, and transport goods. The Yangtze created China. The Nile created Egypt. The Tigris and Euphrates created Mesopotamia.
500
What river forms the border between Mexico and the USA?
The Rio Grande
500
What water falls, what are three things that could happen to it next?
It can be intercepted by trees and plants, or it could run along the surface (surface runoff) into streams, or it could seep into the ground and become groundwater.
500
Explain how oxbow lakes develop.
Over a long period of the time, the sediment deposited by a river can cut off a meander. The river then cuts a more direct path, leaving the disconnected meander on its own.
500
Name the five most important rivers in Russia.
Volga, Ob, Yenisey, Lena, Amur
500
What are 5 ways (good and bad) that rivers can affect humans?
1. Provides fresh water for drinking. 2. Provides electricity. 3. Can flood and kill thousands of people. 4. Can be used as a drain for waster 5. Used to irrigate crops.
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