Confluence

For other uses, see Confluence (disambiguation).

Confluence of rivers, the Mosel flows into the Rhine at Koblenz. The Name "Koblenz" itself has its origin in the latin name "Confluentes"

Confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda Rivers to produce the Ganges at Devprayag, India. Note the swirl of sediment from the Alaknanda.

Confluence of canals
This simplified diagram shows how a section of the Industrial Canal in New Orleans also serves as the channel for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal. At the bottom, a portion of the Intracoastal is also shown to be confluent with the Mississippi River.

The confluence of the Rio Negro (black) and the Rio Solimões (sandy) near Manaus, Brazil.

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream. It can be where a tributary joins a larger river, called the main stem, or where two streams meet to become the source of a river of a new name, such as the confluence of Bell Creek and Arroyo Calabasas, forming the Los Angeles River. In a broader sense, the merging of any two streams is a confluence.^[1]

The term is also used to describe the meeting of tidal or other non-riverine bodies of water, such as two canals^[2] or a canal and a lake.^[3] A one-mile (1.6 km) portion of the Industrial Canal in New Orleans accommodates the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal; therefore those three waterways are confluent there.

Notable confluences

• Allahabad in India, where the sacred rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati meet. It is one of the holiest places in Hinduism. The confluence itself is called Sangam.
• The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• The Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers in Three Forks, Montana form the confluence of the Missouri River, one of the longest rivers in the United States (2,341 miles (3,767 km)).
• Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is situated at the confluence of the Gombak River (previously known as Sungai Lumpur, which means muddy river) and the Klang River.
• Passau known also as the Dreiflüssestadt (City of Three Rivers), because the Danube River is joined there by the Inn River from the South, and the Ilz River coming out of the Bavarian Forest to the North.
• Manaus, Brazil is located on the Rio Negro near its confluence with the Amazon. It is the chief port and a hub for the region's extensive river system.
• Osijek, Croatia is located on the right bank of the river Drava 25 km upstream of its confluence with the Danube.
• Belgrade, the capital of Serbia lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers.
• The Hochelaga Archipelago, including the island and city of Montreal, is located at the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River in Quebec, Canada.
• The two largest rivers in Australia, the Darling and the Murray converge at Wentworth, New South Wales
• Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and one of the largest towns above the Arctic Circle, is located on the confluence of rivers Ounasjoki and Kemijoki.
• Winnipeg, Canada is located at the confluence of the Red River, and the Assiniboine River. The area is referred to as The Forks by locals, and has been an important trade location for over 6000 years.
• Triangle of Three Emperors, former tripoint in Europe.
• Confluence at Prescott, Wisconsin in the USA where the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota) flows into the Mississippi River.^[4]
• Cairo, Illinois in the USA where the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River.
• St. Louis, Missouri is built just south of the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.
• Lyon, France is located on the confluence of the Saône and Rhone rivers.
• The confluence between the Franklin River and Gordon River in south-western Tasmania
• The confluence of the Snake and Columbia River at the Tri-Cities of Washington.
• The confluence of the rivers Pivka and Rak is the largest subterranean confluence in Europe.
• The confluence at Lokoja, Nigeria, where the Niger and Benue rivers merge.
• The Sudanese capital of Khartoum, located at the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile. This merging point is the beginning of the Nile.
• Columbus, Ohio in the United States is located at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers.
• Raymond Terrace, New South Wales
• Glenwood Springs, Colorado
• Kansas City, Kansas in the United States is located at the confluence of the Missouri and Kaw rivers.

Integer latitudes and longitudes

Lat. 23°00'00"S X Long. 49º00'00"W

The Degree Confluence Project has adapted the word "confluence" for describing points where integer latitude and integer longitude lines cross. The point in extreme northeastern New Jersey at 41°0′0″N 74°0′0″W / 41°N 74°W / 41; -74 is such a "confluence point".^[5]

See also

• Mouth (water stream)
• Aber and Inver as place-name elements
• Sangam at Allahabad

References

1. ^ "confluence". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/confluence. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
2. ^ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refers to the confluence of the Assawoman Canal with the Bethany Loop Canal in Delaware. See: "CENAP-OP-R-Quarterly Report, 2004-05-12". Philadelphia Engineer District. http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/cenap-pa/qtrlyPN-2-2004.htm. Retrieved 2006-03-11. 
3. ^ Engineers in New Orleans refer to the confluence of the 17th Street Canal and Lake Pontchartrain. See: "Interim Closure Structure at 17th St. Canal". Task Force Guardian. Archived from the original on 2006-06-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20060625180619/http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/tfg/OEB09.htm. Retrieved 2006-03-11. 
4. ^ http://www.wistravel.com/cities_in_wisconsin/prescott_wisconsin/
5. ^ "Information about Degree Confluences: Definition". Degree Confluence Project. http://www.confluence.org/infoconf.php#definition. Retrieved 2010-01-12.