Braided river

A braided river is a network of small channels separated by islands that are often not fixed. In other words, the river channels wander across a flat area.

The Waimakariri River in the South Island of New Zealand is a braided river

A marvellous photo of a flat plain bearing a braided river in Poland: The Narew at Strękowa Góra

The White River in Washington State

Braided rivers are found in places where the river carries a lot of sediment, and when it slows down and spreads out. The river delta of the Amazon River is a good example on a huge scale, and the Waimakariri River is a good example on a smaller scale.

Large systems

Large braided river systems are found around the world:

• Alaska
• Canada
• New Zealand's South Island
• the Himalayas

All these regions contain young mountains that erode quickly.

Europe has three notably braided rivers: the Narew, in Poland and Belarus, the Tagliamento in northeastern Italy and the Vjosa River in Albania and Greece.

Related pages

• Meander

Other websites

• Media related to Braided rivers at Wikimedia Commons