What are called backwaters?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current. It can refer to a branch of a main river, which lies alongside it and then rejoins it, or to a body of water in a main river, backed up by the sea tide or by an obstruction such as a dam.

What is difference between backwater and lagoon?

Are backwaters and lagoons the same thing? A backwater is not the same as a lagoon. Backwaters are formed in part of a river where the current of the river has slowed down due to a blockage in the river. The flow of the river slows down, and the water backs up.

What is the difference between estuaries and lagoons?

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal water body where freshwater from streams or rivers mixes with the saltwater from the ocean, while a lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from the ocean by a narrow landform like barrier islands, sandbars, or coral reefs.

Why Kerala is called backwater?

The place is called backwaters because the lake water is actually fresh river water that comes down from the river and is then used for the paddy fields whenever the need be, and later the lake water as it goes ahead, merges with the ocean in Kochi.

Why is it called a backwater?

The word backwater has been around since the 14th Century meaning “water behind a dam.” Now it refers to any flat water, not just the water behind a dam. Literally, backwater is water that’s away from the current; figuratively, backwater is a place that’s away from current events.

Where do you find backwater?

Backwater. The scenic backwaters of Kerala comprise a serene stretch of lakes, canals and lagoons located parallel to the coast of the Arabian Sea. The backwater regions of Kerala are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

What is the difference between lake and lagoon?

Differences between lakes and lagoons Lakes are usually landlocked and entirely separate from the ocean and other large bodies of water, whereas lagoons are always connected to a larger body of water.

What is the difference between a lagoon and a cove?

is that cove is or cove can be (british) a fellow; a man while lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from deeper sea by a bar.

What is the difference between estuary and delta?

The estuary is an area where saltwater of sea mixes with fresh water of rivers. It is formed by a tidal bore. Delta is a low triangular area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water.

Is an estuary freshwater or saltwater?

An estuary is a partially enclosed, coastal water body where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. Estuaries, and their surrounding lands, are places of transition from land to sea.

How many rivers are in backwater?

Kerala Backwaters – Wikitravel. Backwaters in Kerala is a network of 1500 km of canals both manmade and natural, 38 rivers and 5 big lakes extending from one end of Kerala to the other. Backwaters is one of the major tourism product of Kerala, being unique to the state.

How is a backwater formed?

The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. The backwaters have a unique ecosystem: freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea.

How does water flow in and out of an estuary?

The lighter water which is less dense flows out of the estuary into the sea or the ocean from the surface while the heavier or dense water, which is saline, flows to the estuary from the ocean or sea near the floor. The time it takes for fresh water to exchange with new fresh water in an estuary is known as flushing time.

What is the difference between an estuary and a lagoon?

1 Definition. An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal water body where freshwater from streams or rivers mixes with the saltwater from the ocean, while a lagoon is a shallow body 2 Depth. Estuaries are deep, while lagoons, usually coastal lagoons, are comparatively shallower. 3 Currents. 4 Conclusion.

What is the definition of estuaries in geography?

Answer Wiki. ESTUARY: An estuary is a place where a river or a stream opens into the sea (mouth of the river). It is a partially enclosed coastal area of brackish water (salinity varies between 035 ppt) with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.

What is the difference between an estuary and a swamp?

estuary- the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream. swamp- an area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. mangrove- a tree or shrub which grows in tidal, chiefly tropical, coastal swamps, having numerous tangled roots that grow above ground and form dense thickets.