River source

A river source is the place where a river begins, such as a spring, lake, glacier, or the confluence of smaller streams.

Drainage basin: An area of land where precipitation and streams drain toward a common outlet. The basin’s topography determines which waters feed a river’s headwaters.
Spring (hydrology): A place where groundwater flows naturally to Earth’s surface. A spring can supply a river continuously from an underground source.
Source of the Nile: The headwater region or locations identified as the beginning of the Nile River. The Nile illustrates how a river can have several competing source definitions.
River mouth: The place where a river flows into a sea, lake, or another river. It marks the river’s downstream endpoint rather than its beginning.
Precipitation: Water released from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. It supplies much of the water that reaches a river’s starting point.
Glacier: A persistent mass of ice formed from accumulated snow that moves under its own weight. Seasonal meltwater from a glacier can initiate a river.
Source of the Amazon River: The headwater region in the Andes associated with the beginning of the Amazon River. Amazon source claims show how farthest-headwater criteria can change a river’s mapped length.
River source and mouth: The paired endpoints used to describe a river’s course from origin to outlet. Comparing endpoints clarifies how a river’s length and route are measured.
Groundwater: Water held beneath Earth’s surface in soil and rock. Groundwater can emerge as a spring that forms a river source.
Lake: A substantial body of water surrounded by land and not directly connected to the sea. A river may begin at a lake’s outlet.

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Chambeshi RiverNarrower topic: The Chambeshi’s headwaters lie in northeastern Zambia.