When we study the hydrography of a country or a specific territory, we discover different continental water masses that are well called rivers or tributaries. But do we know what they are? What is the difference between them?
It is true that there is often a certain degree of confusion regarding the definition of both terms. Therefore, if you want to solve your doubts, we recommend you continue reading this article by Green Ecologist about what is a tributary, where you can check from the definition of tributary even its differences with rivers and effluents and know some tributaries of the world.
Tributaries are secondary rivers that join in a zone of confluence with others major rivers, on which they flow. Between the tributary characteristics we highlight:
Taking into account the number of tributaries in a watershed, Strahler's method allows ranking the drainage network using commands, in order to easily identify and classify waterways:
In both cases, we are dealing with bodies of water that are running or circulating continuously. But, what is it that differentiates these two elements of the hydrographic basin?
First it is necessary to be clear that the fundamental structure of the hydrographic basins are the rivers and that the tributaries are one more part that constitutes them. To this is added that they differ in the final destination of its waters. That is to say, the rivers end up flowing into the sea, in lakes or oceans; while, the waters of the tributaries go to the main river. In addition, as we have introduced in the previous section, the tributaries are usually smaller, have a lower flow and also have a smaller reception basin than that of the main rivers.
We recommend you expand this knowledge by reading this other article on How rivers are formed.
Depending on the direction the watercourse takes, the small rivers that are linked to the main rivers are manifested as:
In Spain there are eight main rivers: the Miño, Ebro, Duero, Tajo, Júcar, Guadiana, Segura and Guadalquivir. Despite being large rivers, each one has different characteristics, so there is no standard length or flow that defines them. Such rivers have their own tributaries, their own hydrographic basin and flow into a certain slope.
Below are exposed examples of river tributaries in Spain:
The Nile River, whose waters flow into Lake Victoria, is one of the longest rivers in the world. It crosses 11 African countries and, together with its tributaries, this main river has a length of approximately 3 million kilometers.
It has two important tributaries: The White Nile and The Blue Nile. But they are not the only ones, there are others tributaries of the nile They stand out, like: river Atbara, Sobat, Abbay, Tekezé, Baro and river Semliki.
In terms of volume of water, according to FAO, the Amazon is considered the largest river in the world. Crossing Peru and Brazil, there is an extensive system of tributaries or tributaries of the Amazon river:
Having learned all this about what are tributariesWe encourage you to continue discovering more about the water of our planet with these other articles on What is a meander, its characteristics, formation and types and Why are lakes and rivers important.
Also, here below we leave you an interesting and short video about why river water is sweet.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is a tributaryWe recommend that you enter our Nature Curiosities category.
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