NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Swamps

A swamp is a wetland that features permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water, generally with a substantial number of hummocks, or dry-land protrusions. Swamps usually are regarded as including a large amount of woody vegetation. When a wetland area does not, it is usually termed a marsh.

Swamps are generally characterized by very slow-moving waters, often rich in tannins from decaying vegetation. They are usually associated with adjacent rivers or lakes. In some cases, rivers become swamps for a distance. Swamps are features of areas with very low topographic relief, although they may be surrounded by mountains.

The most famous swamps in the United States are the Okefenokee Swamp (home to the cartoon characters of Pogo, by Walt Kelly) and the Great Dismal Swamp. The Okefenokee is located in extreme southeastern Georgia and extends slightly into northeastern Florida. The Great Dismal Swamp lies in extreme southeastern Virginia and extreme northeastern North Carolina. Both are National Wildlife Refuges. Another swamp area, Reelfoot Lake of extreme western Tennessee, was created by the New Madrid earthquake of 1812. Caddo Lake, the Great Dismal and Reelfoot are swamps that are centered around around large lakes. Swamps are often called bayous in the southeastern United States.

Swamps are characterized by rich biodiversity and specialized organisms. For instance, southeastern U.S. swamps, such as those mentioned above, feature trees such as the Bald cypress and Water tupelo, which are adapted to growing in standing water, and animals such as the American alligator.

A common species name in biological nomenclature is the Latin palustris, meaning "of the swamp". Examples of this are Quercus palustris (pin oak) and Thelypteris palustris (marsh fern).

Contents

1 List of Major Swamps

1.1 Africa
1.2 Asia
1.3 North America
1.4 South America

1 See also

List of Major Swamps

Africa

Asia

Asmat Swamp, Indonesia
Vasyugan Swamp, Russia

North America

Caddo Lake, United States
Great Black Swamp, United States
Great Dismal Swamp, United States
Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia, United States
Reelfoot Lake, United States
Big Cypress Swamp, Florida, United States
Limberlost, Indiana, United States
Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, United States

South America

Pantanal, Brazil

The Nature Conservancy in New York - Eastern: Great Swamp (746 words)
	For the 40,000+ residents who live near the swamp and the more than one million people who depend on it for drinking water, the Great Swamp is a vital natural resource.
	Thus, conservation of the Great Swamp and enhancement of the local quality of life depend on development and economic growth that are compatible with the environment and consistent with community goals.
	While red hardwood maple swamp is the most dominant community within the Great Swamp, there is a wide occurrence of floodplain forest and shrub swamp communities, as well as rare inland Atlantic white cedar swamp several very rare, high quality fen communities.

EPA > Wetlands > Wetland Types > Swamps (601 words)
	Swamps are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season, and standing water during certain times of the year.
	Swamps may be divided into two major classes, depending on the type of vegetation present: shrub swamps, and forested swamps.
	Bottomland hardwood swamp is a name commonly given to forested swamps in the south central United States.

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