A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank which is typically a point bar. The result of this coupled erosion and sedimentation is the formation of a sinuous course as the channel migrates back and forth across the axis of a floodplain.
Meanders of the Rio Cauto at Guamo Embarcadero, Cuba
The Jordan River, near the Dead Sea, 1937
Uvac canyon meander, Serbia
Meanders on the River Clyde, Scotland
In physical geography and hydrology, a channel is a landform on which a relatively narrow body of water is situated, such as a river, river delta or strait. While channel typically refers to a natural formation, the cognate term canal denotes a similar artificial structure.
Vivari Channel in Albania links Lake Butrint with the Straits of Corfu.
Wooden pilings mark the navigable channel for vessels entering Lake George from the St. Johns River in Florida.