SOCIAL SCIENCE: HYDROSPHERE

RIVERS

• Rivers contain fresh water.
• A river basin describes all the land a river flows through.
• A riverbed is the ground a river flows over.
• A river that flows into another river is called a tributary.
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• We talk about rivers in three stages. Each stage refers to a certain type of flow and landscape.

1 Upper Course: here a river is fast-flowing and travels down a steep slope, away from the source. 

2 Middle Course: here it flows more slowly on gentle slopes and plains. It also meanders.

3 Lower Course: here the river widens as it nears the sea or lake, forming an estuary, and its flow is much slower.

RIVERS IN SPAIN

The major rivers begin high in the mountains of Spain. Each river begins at a different source and travels across Spain to its mouth, located in one of the major bodies of water surrounding the Iberian Peninsula.

River	Source	Route	Estuary
Tajo	Sierra de Albarracín  Sistema Central	Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Portugal	Atlantic Ocean
Ebro	Pico Tres Mares Cordillera Cantábrica	Cantabria, Castilla y León, La Rioja, País Vasco, Navarra, Aragón, Cataluña	Mediterranean Sea
Duero	Picos de Urbión Sistema Ibérico	Castilla y León, Portugal	Atlantic Ocean
Guadalquivir	Sierra de Cazorla Cordillera Bética	Andalucía	Atlantic Ocean

WATER CYCLE

ACTIVITIES

• 1.- Which river only flows through one autonomous community?
• 2.- Which rivers form part of the border with Portugal?
• 3.- Which rivers flow towards the Atlantic Ocean?
• 4.- Which rivers flow towards the Mediterranean Sea?