National Geographic Society

About Rivers

Join Geography Action! and discover connections between people and rivers. Rivers provide our drinking water, nourish our agriculture, and support many endangered species. While each river is unique, all rivers are part of larger systems, and have common characteristics that enable us to understand how they function and how to protect them. River conservation strives to maintain two things: the quantity of water within a system, and the quality of rivers—and of everything else—within a river system and watershed.