(Redirected from Waterways)
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:
★ The waterway must be deep enough to allow the
draft depth of the
vessels using it;
★ The waterway must be wide enough to allow passage for the
beam width of the vessels using it;
★ The waterway must be free of barriers to navigation such as
waterfalls and rapids, or have a way around them (such as
canal locks);
★ The current of the waterway must be mild enough to allow vessels to make headway.
Vessels using waterways vary from small animal-drawn
barges to immense ocean
tankers and
ocean liners, such as
cruise ships.
Canals
Canals are waterways that are constructed to provide a new path of travel for vessels (as opposed to improving a natural waterway along its current course). 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.
Tidal Waterway
A
tidal waterway is a waterway that is open to the
sea and is therefore subject to tidal movements. Non-tidal waterways are inland waterways often separated from the sea by navigation
locks.
See also
★
List of waterways
★
International waterway
★
Pacific Ocean
★
Indian Ocean
★
Arabian Sea
★
Great Lakes
★
Strait of Magellan
★
Cape of Good Hope
★
Panama Canal
★
Suez Canal
★
Erie Canal
★
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
★
Cape Cod Canal
★
Saint Lawrence Seaway
★
Great Lakes Waterway
★
Intracoastal Waterway
★
Ecocanal Waterway