Des Moines River

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/des-moines-river

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is the Des Moines River?Approximately 525 miles (845 km)
2. How big is the Des Moines River?Des Moines, Iowa
3. What is the location?Upper Midwestern United States, primarily Iowa, with headwaters in Minnesota
4. What is the major confluence?Forms a short border with Missouri
5. Where does the Des Moines River start and where does it end?It begins in southern Minnesota and flows southeast until it joins the Mississippi River.
6. Why is the Des Moines River important to the city of Des Moines?The city is named after the river, and the meeting of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers helped the city grow as a transportation and trade center.

Physiography: The study of the features of the Earth's surface and the processes that create them.
Geomorphic Transition: A change in the landforms and geological characteristics along the course of a river or region.
Watershed: An area of land where all precipitation drains into a common body of water, such as a river or lake.
Riparian Zones: The interface between land and a river or stream, characterized by specific vegetation and ecological processes.