Year 6 Geography. Learn how rivers are important and how people use rivers.

1. Rivers and people
Year 6 Geography
LB Pg 10 – 11

2. Objective
• To understand the significance of
rivers in human civilizations.
• To identify various ways in which
rivers benefit people.
• To recognize the ways of how
rivers are used.

3. Rivers and people
• Many early towns and villages were
built near rivers because the rivers
stopped enemies from attacking
from one side.
• Some villages and towns gained
even more protecting by being built
on the inside of a river meanders or
on an island in a river.

4. Rivers and
people
Water from the river could also be
used by people and animals for
drinking and it could be used to
water food crops.
The soil near rivers is often
fertile and moist so crops grew
well, while fish from rivers could
be used for food.
Many people used rivers to travel
along because the early roads
were poor.

9. Rivers and cities
• Many of the world's greatest cities
are close to rivers.
• Some of these cities developed
at fords, where the river was
shallow and could be crossed on
foot.
• Other cities grew where the first
bridges were built over rivers.

10. Rivers and cities
• Many large ports
developed at the
mouths of rivers that
provided sheltered
harbours for ships.
• Some river towns
grew because of
industries that
developed along the
river.

11. Ship building
in River Clyde

12. Ship building
in River Tyne

13. Rivers and cities
• Newcastle, a city on
the River Hunter in
Australia, grew
because large amounts
of coal from the local
area were exported
through the city's port.

14. Rivers and land use
• Roads and railways often follow the course of a river
because the ground is less steep.
• Dams are built in river valleys where they can catch
and store rainwater or melted snow from the
mountains.
• Dams can be used to generate electricity and to
supply water for drinking, washing and irrigating

19. Rivers and land use
• Further down river valleys,
where the land is flatter, the
rich, deep soils of river
floodplains can be used for
farming.
• Since it's flat, floodplains are
also used for building houses,
factories and water treatment
and sewage works.
• These areas are most likely to
flood after heavy rain.

20. Estuary
• The wide, flat areas around the
river mouth or estuary are
important habitats and feeding
grounds for wildlife.
• They also provide cheap land for
power stations and factories.
• It's an excellent site for a port too.