The source or headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream
River Wey near its source at Farringdon, England
A stone near Crissolo, Italy, is inscribed, "Here is born the Po".
Rhume Spring is the source of the Rhume river.
A tributary, or an affluent, is a stream that flows into a larger stream or lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem into which they flow drain the s
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.
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.