A river is a natural channel where water flows from mountains or high ground to a sea or lake. Rivers are home to many different animals, including otters, kingfishers, Nile crocodiles, common frogs, red-bellied piranhas, and dragonflies. Rivers are also very useful to people, as we use them for drinking water, farming, industry, power, recreation, and transportation. Over thousands of years, rivers shape the surrounding landscape by cutting valleys and forming waterfalls as they flow, such as the Colorado River which created the Grand Canyon. Some record-breaking rivers include the Severn River in the UK at 220 miles long, the Nile River in Africa as the world's longest at

1. RIVERS!!!
BY EVAN COPELAND

2. What is a river?
A river is a natural channel
down which water flows to
a sea or a lake. Most rivers
begin in mountains as
rainwater or melting snow.

3. Rivers are home to many animals
Otter (mammal)
Otters are curious,
playful and
intelligent. They
are fast and agile
swimmers.
Kingfisher (bird)
They live along rivers
and streams where
they dive for fish.
Nile Crocodile (reptile)
They guard their eggs
until they hatch and then
carry their babies to the
water.

4. Common frog
(amphibian)
Common frogs can
jump more than seven
times their own length,
that's like an athlete
leaping over a bus.
Red-bellied piranha
(fish)
A large group of
piranhas can attack big
animals by ripping
away chunks of flesh
with their razor sharp
teeth.
Dragonfly (insect)
Dragonflies can fly
backwards, change
direction in mid-air
and hover for up to a
minute.

5. How do we use rivers?
As well as being a home for lots
of different animals, rivers are
very useful for people. We use
them for:

Drinking

Farming

Industry

Power

Playing and sport

Transport

6. Rivers shape the landscape
Rivers cut valleys and
waterfalls into the landscape.
The incredible Grand Canyon
was created by the Colorado
River over thousands of years.

7. RECORD BREAKERS!
The longest river in the UK
is the river Severn. It is 220
miles long and flows into the
sea at Bristol.
The longest river in the
world is the River Nile. It is
4,132 miles in length and
flows through 11 countries,
such as Kenya and Egypt. It
finishes in the
Mediterranean Sea.
Did you know that the
longest river in Europe is
the river Volga and it is in
Russia. It measures an
incredible 2,294 miles.