Winding their way through the planet's landscapes and supplying some of its most prosperous cities with fresh water, food, and transportation conduits, rivers and streams have critical ecological and economic significance. As they carve out waterfalls, valleys, canyons, deltas, and a host of other landforms, they also support a diversity of organisms and connect disparate regions. Accompanied by extraordinary color photographs, this volume examines the characteristics of these captivating channels as well as their greatest threats and profiles some of the world's prominent rivers.