A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a tributary, a stream that flows towards and into anoth
Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, with the flow from right to left, showing several streams branching off from their main streams
A seasonal distributary of the Kaveri River on the Kaveri delta, near Nannilam, India
Delta of Papua New Guinea's Fly River
A tributary, or an affluent, is a stream that typically flows into a larger stream or lake, or rarely into a smaller stream, e.g., the Esla tributary to the Douro. A tributary does not flow directly i
Distributary
…A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a tributary, a stream that flows towards and into another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurcation and are often found where a river…
Nam Khan flows into the Mekong at Luang Prabang in Laos.
At Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, looking downstream, the Shenandoah River (bottom right) meets the Potomac River, which flows from bottom left to top right, making the Shenandoah a right tributary of the Potomac.
Huai River (itself a tributary of the Yangtze) and tributaries
The Mekong is a trans-boundary river, originating in the Tibetan Plateau. Its upper tributary river systems (e.g. ngom chu [zh]) are restricted to narrow gorges, but the tributaries that feed its lower reaches (e.g. the Mun River) cover larger areas.