OKAVANGO DELTA

RIVERS usually flow into another body of water such as an ocean, a lake or another river. Sometimes as the water nears the mouth of the river, its flow slows down enough so that the sediment – solid materials such as sand and stones – that had been carried in the currents settles on the riverbed.

This buildup of sediment causes the river to branch out into several shallower streams flowing around the sediment (or sand banks). Eventually, the sediment forms land masses on which grasslands or wetlands can form. This is a river delta.