NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. These include rivers, lakes, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria: Over two thirds of the earths surface is covered with water, 97. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Oceans (from Okeanos, Greek for river, the ancient Greeks noticed that a strong current flowed off Gibraltar, and assumed it was a great river) cover almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France. ...

Vessels using waterways vary from small animal-drawn barges to immense ocean tankers and ocean liners, such as cruise ships. Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ... Hopetoun Falls near Otway National Park, Victoria, Australia A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. ... Canal locks in England. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. ... An ocean liner is a large passenger ship, typically a motorized vessel that undertakes longer voyages on the open sea primarily for the purpose of transporting people from one place to another. ... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship, or less commonly cruise liner or luxury liner, is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the amenities of the ship are considered an essential part of the experience. ...

At one time, canals were built mostly for small wooden barges drawn by horses or other draft animals. Today, major canals are built to allow passage of large ocean-going vessels. See Ship Canal. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A ship canal is a canal especially constructed to carry ocean-going ships, as opposed to barges. ...

See also

Categories: Bodies of water | Waterways The List of waterways is a link page for any river, canal, estuary or firth. ... Map of the Arabian Sea. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... The Strait of Magellan is a navigable route immediately south of mainland South America. ... The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point. ... A canal tug, making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal, waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... 1881 drawing of the Suez Canal. ... The Erie Canal (currently part of the New York State Canal System) is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is a man-made waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that anchors Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts. ... These are the Eisenhower Locks, located in Massena, NY. The Saint Lawrence Seaway in its broadest sense is the system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. ... The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. ... Tug and barge on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800 km (3,000 mile) long recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. ...