Wanderlust World Wanderlust World River deltas form wherever a river carrying sediment enters a standing body of water (ocean, sea, lake, reservoir) and its velocity drops sufficiently to deposit that sediment faster than waves, tides, or currents can remove it.
| Delta | River | Location | Area (km²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganges-Brahmaputra (Sunderbans) | Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna | Bangladesh / India | 105,000 | Tide-dominated |
| Amazon | Amazon | Brazil | 100,000+ | Tide/wave-influenced |
| Mekong | Mekong | Vietnam / Cambodia | 40,000 | Tide-dominated |
| Mississippi | Mississippi | USA (Louisiana) | 28,000 | River-dominated (bird's foot) |
| Nile | Nile | Egypt | 24,000 | Wave-dominated (arcuate) |
| Yangtze (Changjiang) | Yangtze | China | 30,000+ | Tide-influenced |
| Volga | Volga | Russia (Caspian Sea) | 19,000 | Lake delta |
| Mackenzie | Mackenzie | Canada (Beaufort Sea) | 12,000 | Arctic, ice-influenced |
| Colorado | Colorado | Mexico (Gulf of California) | 5,000 | Formerly large; now diminished |
| Okavango | Okavango | Botswana (Kalahari Basin) | 15,000 | Inland (endorheic) delta |
Rivers with steep gradients, low sediment, high wave energy, or entering deep water (e.g., many West Coast US rivers, Congo River – submarine canyon) do not form significant deltas.