What is the side of a river called?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

The side or margin of a river is geographically and hydrologically referred to as the bank. When facing in the direction in which the water flows, the bank on the right-hand side is designated as the right bank, and the opposing side is designated as the left bank. Other related geomorphological terms used to describe the lateral boundaries of a watercourse include shoreline, riparian zone, levee, or floodplain, depending on the specific structural profile, vegetation, and elevation of the surrounding terrain.

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No, a standard bank routing number is generally not used for international wire transfers. The routing number is primarily designed for domestic transactions within a specific country (such as ACH transfers in the US).

Several regional and community financial institutions operate under names like River Bank or variations incorporating river-themed branding across different states and countries.

In physical geography and hydrology, the bank of a river refers to the terrain alongside or sloping down to the edges of a natural stream, channel, or riverbed.

In Old English, which was spoken in Anglo-Saxon England from the fifth to the twelfth centuries, several distinct vocabulary words were utilized to describe flowing bodies of water and rivers.

A classic example of a river bank is the sloping margin of earth, rock, and vegetation lining either side of the Mississippi River as it flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, or the elevated earthen levees running along the Thames in London.

A secondary flowing body of water that feeds into a larger main river or lake is formally classified in hydrology and geography as a tributary.

A split in a river where a single flowing stream divides into multiple separate channels that diverge and flow away from each other is formally known as a distributary.

Rivers situated within protected wilderness areas and national parks—such as the Smith River in Northern California, the Snake River in Wyoming, and the Boundary Waters watersheds in Minnesota—are widely recognized as the cleanest rivers in the Unite...

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The English language features several distinct words that describe natural flowing bodies of freshwater moving toward oceans, lakes, or larger drainage basins, each carrying nuanced geographic descriptions.

An arm of a river is most commonly referred to as a distributary when it branches off from the main channel and flows away toward an ocean or lake, or a tributary if it is a smaller stream feeding into the main river.

A river bank refers to the terrain bordering a natural flowing watercourse, defining the physical boundary where the active channel of a river meets the surrounding dry land.

Another word or descriptive phrase for a river bank is a riparian zone, embankment, water margin, shore, watercourse edge, or levée.

A river bank is the physical land boundary flanking a flowing body of water, separating the river channel from the adjacent dry terrain of the surrounding floodplain or valley.

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When examining massive hydrological features and river engineering works, the concept of a river bank typically refers to structural levees, embankments, or natural geological formations bordering the largest drainage basins.

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