Quote:
Originally Posted by baddog
I think the difference between a stream and a river is whether or not it empties into an ocean or sea.
I always thought it was man made, but apparently it just looks that way because of the Army Corp of Engineers who decided to encase it in cement back in the 30's for flood control purposes.
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That made me curious, because I always though it was about size (isn't it always with anything ;)) and I think it is. Check this:
http://geography.about.com/od/physic...treamorder.htm
Not that this has to turn into a debate if it's a river or not, but for arguments sake:
Quote:
When using stream order to classify a stream, the sizes range from a first order stream all the way to the largest, a 12th order stream. A first order stream is the smallest of the world's streams and consists of small tributaries. These are the streams that flow into and "feed" larger streams but do not normally have any water flowing into them. In addition, first and second order streams generally form on steep slopes and flow quickly until they slow down and meet the next order waterway.
First through third order streams are also called headwater streams and constitute any waterways in the upper reaches of the watershed. It is estimated that over 80% of the world?s waterways are these first through third order, or headwater streams.
Going up in size and strength, streams that are classified as fourth through sixth order are medium streams while anything larger (up to 12th order) is considered a river. For example, to compare the relative size of these different streams, the Ohio River in the United States is an eighth order stream while the Mississippi River is a tenth order stream. The world?s largest river, the Amazon in South America, is considered a 12th order stream.
Unlike the smaller order streams, these medium and large rivers are usually less steep and flow slower. They do however tend to have larger volumes of runoff and debris as it collects in them from the smaller waterways flowing into them.
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Now to find the data for that particular river/stream heh