This document provides information about river drainage basins. It discusses how drainage basins are defined as the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. Key points include: - Rivers flow downhill from highland source areas through three main sections - the upper, middle and lower courses. - The boundaries of the drainage basin are defined by watershed areas of high land. - As the river flows downstream, its characteristics change with width, depth, and volume increasing. - Common exam questions involve locating features on diagrams of river basins and explaining river landforms and processes like erosion and transportation of material.

1. What’s this?

2. Aung San Suu Kyi
Nobel Peace Prize
motivation: "for her
non-violent struggle
for democracy and
human rights"

3. 8 December, 2014 What are the characteristics of a
river’s drainage basin?
Starter: what are these parts of the hydrological cycle?

5. The drainage basin
• All rivers receive a
water supply and the
area of land this comes
from is known as a
drainage basin.
• The boundaries of the
basin are known as the
watershed and will
usually be marked by
areas of high land.

6. River drainage basins
• Rivers begin in upland areas and flow downhill,
becoming deeper and wider until they reach the
sea.
• The drainage basin (aka ‘catchment’) is an area
of land that is drained by a river
• As the river flows downstream its
characteristics change through the three main
sections of
- The Upper Course
- The Middle Course
- The Lower Course

7. Drainage basin diagram:
• River basins are
an open system
with inputs and
outputs of water
Any rain falling
here will flow
within this basin

8. Common exam Qs
• These Qs come up often in exams:
- Locate features on diagram of river
- Explain the main ways rivers erode
- Explain how rivers transport material

10. • Your book
• A template
• A stick of glue
• Scissors
• Pencil crayons- blue and brown
• A pen

11. Template

12. Cut out the template.
Make sure you cut up the vertical line.

13. Using a brown crayon, shade around the
circumference of the circle.

14. Using a blue crayon, shade the left triangle,
draw some blue lines running from the top
of the triangle and branching out towards
the edge of the circle.

15. Watershed the area of high land forming
the edge of a river basin.
Source where a river begins.
Mouth where a river meets the sea.
Confluence the point at which two rivers
meet.
Tributary a small river or stream that joins
a larger river.
Channel this is where the river flows.
Drainage Basin this is the area of land
drained by a river and its tributaries.
1
You will now need a pen. Number the
following features on your template.
2
3
4
5
6
7

16. Glue the remaining blank triangle.

17. Stick the glued triangle under the shaded
triangle, so it fits neatly.

18. Open your book to a double page. Glue the
triangle and the bottom sides of the
diagram. Stick this firmly across the cease of
the book. The tip of the triangle should
correspond to the cease.

19. It should look like this!

20. Watershed the area of high land forming
the edge of a river basin.
Source where a river begins.
Mouth where a river meets the sea.
Confluence the point at which two rivers
meet.
Tributary a small river or stream that joins
a larger river.
Channel this is where the river flows.
Drainage Basin this is the area of land
drained by a river and its tributaries.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Give your diagram the title ‘River Basin’.
Provide a date.
Write neatly the numbers and
corresponding definitions into your
book.

21. Close your book!

22. Open your book!
Badge off E-Bay!

24. What will the source and mouth
of the River Amazon look like?
• Make a prediction.
• Write two sentences for each:
– Name size, height and what you’d see.
– What will the land be used for?

25. Stages of a River
Source
Mouth
Factor and definition: Upper Stage Middle Stage Lower Stage
Erosion
Gradient
Depth
Velocity
Width
Volume
Landforms

26. Amazon
• Watch the film clip
• Take notes on the River Amazon
• Describe the landscape, landforms and how
the river + the land is used.