Rivers are picturesque arteries through which the blood of the earth flows. From the very beginning of human history, people tried to break down settlements and build houses in the coastal zone. Water gave them life. Here they watered cattle, bathed and worked the land. In ancient Russia, rivers were called "God's roads."
Both in winter and in summer, they had their own, strategically important. In the warm season, merchant ships glided along large waterways, and in winter, when the surface of the reservoir was covered with ice, merchants transported their goods on sledges directly on ice.
Just as blood is important to the human body, fresh water is also necessary for the functioning of nature. Rivers are the main element of the blue planet Earth. As you know, each of them has its own beginning - the source.
Where do they come from?
Almost all rivers have a different source: somewhere, the bubbling stream begins from a small source, somewhere from a huge waterfall, some rivers are born as a result of the melting of glaciers and snow caps. Such waters are called mountain streams. They are distinguished by their high speed and low temperature, their flow is able to easily carry away even huge blocks of stone. Such rivers are dangerous and unpredictable.
In fact, each begins with its own catchment basin, which, in turn, feeds on many sources. In the spring, during the melting of snow and ice, the rivers are regularly replenished with new water and become more full-flowing, as a result of which they sometimes even flood. This can be a big problem for coastal residents. As a result of such spills, farmers may lose their crops, and houses built next to the river will get wet and collapse.
Rivers and their channel
The Blue Highways form a giant water net on the surface of the earth. In Russia, there are more than 2 million rivers, 200 of which are quite large. Even huge ships are able to sail through them. The more modest barely cover their muddy bottom. As you know, the river bed forms a valley and forms wide bends in it. Each channel is unique, it has its own slope, individual width and current. Each “blue ribbon” has its own beginning, its own character and vital activity. Flora and fauna of rivers are often similar due to the presence of fresh water.
Where do rivers flow and where do they end?
In summer, when the temperature rises, and the evaporation of moisture increases significantly, the sources of rivers become shallow, and the water flows themselves are somewhat narrowed. After the spring melting of the ice, the river returns to its original channel in order to flow further to its end. Where only the flow of rivers does not go! They flow into the oceans, lakes, seas, as well as other rivers. It is generally accepted that they flow from a hill, heading down.
If we take into account the water flows of Russia, then most of them carry their waters to the Arctic Ocean, and only a few - to the Atlantic. In the place where the river flows into the sea, the water is desalinated, due to this some species of living creatures were able to adapt to life in fresh water.
Volga - the largest waterway
This is one of the most picturesque and large rivers not only in the country, but also in Europe. It stretches for almost 4,000 kilometers. So, where does the Volga River flow ? Having originated in the Tver region, it travels along a winding route, is divided into many branches and flows into the Caspian Sea. This amazing river has about 200 tributaries, the largest of which are the Oka and Kama. It is worth mentioning that some rivers flow into drainage lakes, where their turbulent activity ends.
Flow direction
How to determine where the river flows in your area? In fact, everything is extremely simple. You do not need to be a geologist to understand where the rivers flow. First of all, you need to pick up a map and find the right water stream on it. If a reservoir is applied to the drawing, then the direction of its channel will be clearly indicated by a blue arrow. It happens that this needs to be determined, being in nature without a map. What to do in this case? Having carefully looked at the water surface, you can notice in which direction the current is moving.
Where do
rivers flow in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Both in the first and in the second case, they flow to their mouths. Curious to know what is their difference? Their currents are directed in opposite directions. This is regulated not only by the position of the equator, but also by the terrain. For example, it is safe to say that the source is invariably located significantly above the mouth, so the water mass, obeying the physical law of universal gravitation, flows from top to bottom.
Unique water currents
The question of where and where the rivers flow, people asked even at the dawn of human history. Since then, amazing and unusual natural phenomena have been revealed to their eyes more than once. A striking example is the rivers that can change the direction of the current. Previously, people explained this by the intervention of the gods and interpreted in their own way, perceiving such changes as signs from above. With the advent of new technologies, it became clear that there really are water bodies where the mouth and source sometimes change places, but modern scientists have found a more logical explanation for this.
It turned out that the main factor provoking a change in the flow was underground groundwater. When the water level in them begins to fluctuate - this affects the surface flow. It is sometimes difficult to understand the world around us: where do rivers flow, why do certain phenomena occur? However, it is worth remembering that in nature there is nothing meaningless, everything is created for a specific purpose and functions properly, supporting the life of every living creature.
Practice shows that despite the fact that we live in an age of technology and universal technological progress, the purpose of the earth’s water arteries has not changed, although the reservoirs themselves have become the subject of careful study and scientific experiments. In recent decades, scientists are obsessed with studying the structure and molecules of water. Their research proves that this unique fluid is not comparable to any other, it is truly alive! Where do the rivers flow? The world and nature gave comprehensive answers to this and many other questions.