A watershed is a region of land where water flows into a specified body of water, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean. In this sense it is also called water basin or catchment basin, and this is the sense intended in this article, unless otherwise indicated. The boundary of a watershed is called water divide or "watershed" (European terminology); the first term will be used, to avoid confusion. A body of water is any significant natural pool of water such as an ocean, a lake, or a river, covering the Earth or another planet. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ... Sunset at sea Look up Sea on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ocean (from Okeanos, a Greek god of sea and water; Greek ωκεανός) covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the worlds marine waters are over 3000 m deep. ... A water divide, or watershed, is relatively high ground between water basins. ...

Rain that falls anywhere within a given body of water's watershed or basin will eventually drain into that body of water. A map of the primary watersheds in the world can be found at [1]. A watershed that drains into a river is usually known as a river basin. Rain falling For other uses see Rain (disambiguation). ...

Each area of a drainage basin has its own drainage system. A drainage system is the pattern formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular watershed. ...

Watersheds in ecology

Watersheds constitute a very important type of ecoregion. They do things such as provide habitats for animals, lessen flooding, and prevent erosion. Pollution anywhere within the watershed can potentially affect life anywhere downstream from it. An ecoregion is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ...

Watersheds in politics

Watersheds have been important historically in determining boundaries, particularly in regions where trade by water has been important. For example, the English crown gave the Hudson's Bay Company a monopoly on the Indian trade in the entire Hudson Bay watershed, an area called Rupert's Land. The company later acquired the North American watershed of the Arctic Ocean (the North-Western Territory). These lands later became part of Canada as the Northwest Territories, making up the majority of Canada's land area. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... The Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) (TSX: HBC) is the oldest corporation in Canada (and North America) and is one of the oldest in the world still in existence. ... Hudson Bay, Canada. ... Ruperts Land Ruperts Land was a territory consisting of much of modern Canada. ... The North-Western Territory at its greatest extent, 1859 The North-Western Territory was a region of British North America until 1870. ... Motto: None Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Yellowknife Largest city Yellowknife Commissioner Tony Whitford Premier Joe Handley (Consensus government - no party affiliations) Area 1,346,106 km² (3rd) Land 1,183,085 km² Water 163,021 km² (12. ...

Today, bioregional democracy can include agreements of states in a particular watershed to defend it. These include the Great Lakes Commission, which deals with the largest fresh watershed in the world. Bioregional democracy (or the Bioregional State) is a set of electoral reforms designed to force the political process in a democracy to better represent concerns about the economy, the body, and environmental concerns (e. ... Great Lakes. ...

Ocean watersheds

One can divide up the world among the watersheds of the oceans and largest seas.

The Atlantic Ocean watershed consists of the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes watersheds, plus the Eastern Seaboard, Canadian Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador in North America; nearly all of South America (that portion east of the Andes); northern Europe; and the greatest portion of western Sub-Saharan Africa. The Saint Lawrence River (French: fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Categories: US geography stubs ... The Maritimes or Maritime provinces are a region of Canada on the Atlantic coast, consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. ... Motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital St. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... World map showing location of Europe When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... A satellite composite image of Africa showing the ecological break between North and Sub-Saharan regions Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa south of the Sahara Desert, is the term used to describe those countries of Africa that are not part of North Africa. ...

The Caribbean Sea watershed consists of all of the American interior (the Louisiana Purchase, the western Mississippi River watershed; as well as the eastern half such as the Ohio River and its tributaries); eastern Central America; and far northern South America. Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a tropical body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... From Frank Bond, Louisiana and the Louisiana Purchase. ... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge Saint Louis¹: 5,500 m³/s Vicksburg²: 16,800 m³/s Baton Rouge³: 12,800 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin  Lake Itasca Mouth  Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

The Mediterranean Sea watershed consists of much of northeastern Africa, including Egypt, Libya, and Sudan (the Nile watershed), as well as southern and eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Levant. Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Alanic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... The Nile in Egypt Length 6 695 km Elevation of the source 1 134 m Average discharge 2 830 m³/s Area watershed 3 400 000 km² Origin  Africa Mouth  the Mediterranean Basin countries Uganda - Sudan - Egypt The Nile (Arabic: النيل an-nÄ«l), in Africa, is one of the two... The Levant or Sham (Arabic root word related to the term Semite) is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia to the east. ...

Of course, the previous two can be considered part of the Atlantic watershed, since the Caribbean Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Atlantic drains into the Mediterranean due to its higher evaporation.

The Indian Ocean watershed consists of the eastern coast of Africa, the coasts of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, Burma, and most of Australia. Conshelf II in the Red Sea (Sudan) Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea (Arabic البحر الأحمر Baḥr al-Aḥmar, al-Baḥru l-’Aḥmar; Hebrew ים סוף Yam Suf; Tigrigna ቀይሕ ባሕሪ QeyH baHri) is a gulf or basin of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ...

The Pacific Ocean watershed consists of much of China, southeastern Russia, Japan, Korea, most of Indonesia and Malaysia, the Philippines, the rest of the Pacific islands, and the northeast coast of Australia; as well as Alaska, British Columbia, the western United States and Central America, and the coast of South America (the smaller portion west of the Andes). Korea (Hangul: 한국, Hanguk, used by South Korea; ì¡°ì„ , Joseon, used by North Korea) refers to South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) together, which were a unified country until 1945. ... State nickname: The Last Frontier, The Land of the Midnight Sun Other U.S. States Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Governor Frank Murkowski (R) Senators Ted Stevens (R) Lisa Murkowski (R) Official languages English Area 1,067,653 mi² / 1,717,854 km² (1st)  - Land 1,481,347 km²  - Water... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Area 944,735 km² (5th) Land 925,186 km² Water 19,549 km² (2. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The Arctic Ocean watershed consists of the aforementioned Rupert's Land, and most of the territory of Russia.

In addition to the oceanic watersheds, there are numerous endorheic watersheds, inland basins which drain into no ocean. The largest of these consists of much of the interior of Asia, and drains into the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. Other basins include the Great Basin in the United States, much of the Sahara Desert, the watershed of the Okavango River, highlands near the African Great Lakes, the interiors of Australia and the Arabian Peninsula, and parts in Mexico and the Andes. The shores of Lake Hart, an endorheic desert lake in South Australia In geography, an endorheic basin is a watershed from which there is no outflow of water (either on the surface as rivers, or underground by flow or diffusion through rock or permeable material). ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, defined by subtracting Europe from Eurasia. ... Caspian Sea viewed from orbit The Caspian Sea or Mazandaran Sea is a landlocked sea between Asia and Europe (European Russia). ... The Aral Sea, in 2003, had shrunk to well under half of the area it had covered fifty years before. ... Map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ... The Sahara is the worlds second largest desert (second to Antarctica), over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), located in northern Africa and is 2. ... The Okavango River is a river in southwest Africa. ... The Great Lakes and the East African coastline as seen from space. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ...

See also

• List of watersheds (a list of the largest watersheds of the world)
• Hydrology
• River

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of drainage basins. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ... The Murray River in Australia. ...

External links

• Map of primary watersheds in the world
• Studying Watersheds: A Confluence of Important Ideas
• Bryant Creek Watershed Atlas
• Santa Ana Watershed Information
• Science in Your Watershed