The word "delta" is sometimes used to describe objects that are shaped like a triangle. A delta in a waterway refers to a land mass that is created when a river flows into an ocean, lake, desert, estuary or even another river.
The landform in a Delta Waterway is created by sediment such as sand, dirt and rocks carried in a river and deposited where the river, which is moving, meets another body of water, such as an ocean or lake, that is still. This deposit of sediment can also occur when a flowing river meets a piece of land. This is known as a "deltaic deposit."
Delta Waterways are found all over the world. They often support wetland areas and are home to many species of plants and animals.
Delta waterways were so named by the Greek historian Herodotus, who noticed that the sediment deposited in the Nile River formed a land mass in the shape of the Greek letter "Delta," which looks like a triangle.
