1. Rivers!

2. Learning Outcomes You Will Learn:
to describe the features along a river course
to identify river features on topographical maps
about the positive and negative impact of rivers on people
to examine the interrelationship between River Nile and human activities

3. on earth is permanently
Lesson 1
Introducing Rivers!
Did You Know....?  
A person can live about a month without food, but only about 1 week without water.
97% of the water on earth is in the oceans.
Only 3% of the water on
earth is freshwater.
About 2.4% of the water
on earth is permanently
frozen in glaciers
and at the polar ice caps.

4. Distribution of Water on the Earth
Almost three-quarters of the
Earth’s surface is covered with
water
Distribution of Water on the Earth
Salt water (97%)
Fresh water (3%)
Fresh water
Groundwater (29%)
Glaciers, ice sheets (70%)
Seas, lakes, rivers (1%)

5. Lesson 2 - The Water Cycle:
How water circulates continually between the ocean, the atmosphere and the land; and a closer look at how the rainwater reaches rivers.
What’s happening in the picture?
Is this what a river is really like?
Do you know of any rivers close to us?
Write down two facts about that river.

6. The Hydrologic Cycle
Continuous movement of water from the Earth’s surface into the air, and back onto the Earth
Water changes state at each stage of the cycle
Processes occur at the same time

7. Let’s have a look at some of the processes so that we can understand it a little bit better:
Evaporation
When the water on the earth, e.g. the ocean, is warmed by the sun, evaporation takes place.
This water is transferred to the air as water vapour (gas).
The liquid water changes to water vapour (gas).
Air containing water vapour rises from the earth's surface.
More evaporation takes place when there are greater amounts of sunshine, temperature and wind speed.
Transpiration
Transpiration is liquid water that is given off by plants through their leaves (transpiration) and from their leaves (evaporation).
This water is transferred to the air as water vapour (gas).
Condensation
Air containing water vapour (from evaporation or transpiration) rises and cools.
The water vapour (gas) changes into water droplets (liquid).
Clouds are formed.
Precipitation
Precipitation is water falling from the sky or atmosphere as rain, hail, snow, sleet, frost or dew.

8. But what happens to the precipitation when it reaches the earth?
Well, it could:
be taken up by plant roots.
soak into the soil and rocks.
This is called infiltration.
This water forms part of the groundwater.
Groundwater is stored in rocks as part of the water table.
Or it could:
remain frozen and be stored as ice as part of an ice sheet or glacier.
stay on the earth's surface in a river or a lake.
Water that reaches rivers will flow towards the sea.
This is called surface run-off.

9. Activity: Terms Now, let’s have a go at creating our own water cycle!
Condensation
Infiltration
Run-off
Precipitation
Evaporation
Water table
Transpiration
Look at the terms to the right of the diagram and write them in the appropriate box so that the water cycle makes sense.
After you’ve done that, colour in the diagram so that it’s more interesting & so that we can easily see where the water is, where the sun is, where the vegetation is & where the land is.

10. A River’s Profile:

12. The River System A river and its tributaries form a river system
River source
Tributary
River
River mouth

13. The Drainage Basin The area drained by a river and its tributaries
River source
Tributary
Drainage basin
Watershed
River
River mouth

14. The point where two rivers join is called the confluence.
The entire area of land into which a river and its tributaries drain is called a drainage basin or catchment area.
The high-lying area, like a mountain, that separates one drainage basin from another is called a watershed.
The river will continue to flow downstream until it flows into the sea. We say that the river ends at the mouth, in a lowland area.
Are you managing to
remember all of these terms?
Let's look at a diagram of a
drainage basin to make
sure that you understand:

15. Activity: 1) Explain what the source of a river is.
A River's Course
1) Explain what the source of a river is.
_________________________________________________
2) Where is this source usually found?
3) Explain what the mouth of a river is.
4) Where is the mouth of a river usually found?
5) What is a tributary of a river?

16. Rivers Features: Valleys
Refer to the low area between hills or mountains
The shape of a valley depends on how the river
cuts into the land
A river cutting through a valley

17. Rivers Features: Waterfalls
Refer to a vertical flow of fast-moving water falling from a great height
Formed by a river flowing over a horizontal layer of hard rock overlying soft rock

18. River Features: Meanders
Refer to the curves and bends in a river
Formed by erosional and depositional processes

19. Meanders

20. Floodplain

22. Deltas

23. Delta

25. How do Rivers Affect People?
Positive Impact of Rivers
Water supply for farming
Fertile soil for farming
Water supply for industry
Recreation and tourism

26. How do Rivers Affect People?
Positive Impact of Rivers
Source of drinking water and food
Production of hydroelectric power
Means of transport

27. How do Rivers Affect People?
Negative Impact of Rivers
Floods can cause the loss of lives and property
Flooding happens when the water in a river
overflows its banks

28. Lesson 4 - From Source to Mouth:
Name two uses of the river in this picture.
Name one man-made feature & describe its impact on the river.
Can we see any evidence of the Water Cycle in this picture?

29. Case Study: River Nile Flows through 10 countries in Africa
Source of White Nile
Source of Blue Nile
Source of Atbara river
Three main tributaries
make up River Nile:
White Nile (from Lake Victoria)
Blue Nile (from Lake Tana)
Atbara (from Ethiopian highlands)

30. Case Study: River Nile River mouth ends in the Mediterranean Sea
Sediments build up to form the Nile Delta in northern Egypt
Nile Delta
Source of photo: (

31. Skills Builder: Suggested Answers
Path of a river
River features
Human features
Legend