River (Civ6)

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A River is a type of terrain feature in Civilization VI. It exists almost everywhere in the world, and it is unique in that it doesn't occupy its own tile - instead it runs between tiles. Rivers always end in a body of Water, and many times they start in a Mountain..

• Yields: Nothing
• Movement needed: 3 Movement MPs to cross
• Defense provided: +5 bonus against melee attacks coming from across the river (Ranged attacks are unaffected)
• Additional traits:
  • Provides Fresh Water to nearby tiles
  • Can provide Fresh Water via an Aqueduct
  • Cities founded next to it can construct the Water Mill building
  • May contain Floodplains areas which inundate during Flood disasters, causing destruction and killing Citizens from nearby cities.
  • Cities in range of a River with Floodplains can construct the Dam district to mitigate flooding.
  • (pre - ) The Lumber Mill Improvement receives a +1 Production bonus if next to a River.
  • +1 Appeal to nearby tiles
  • Provides +2 Adjacency bonus to Commercial Hub Districts
  • River Goddess Pantheon: +1 Amenities Amenity for cities which have a Holy Site District near a River. In the June 2019 Update, it was altered to provide +2 Amenities Amenities and +2 Housing Housing to cities instead.

Strategy

Rivers are invaluable for city settlement, as they supply fresh water and enable the Water Mill (and various wonders) to be built. With it, any city may get a good start at growing and producing as early as the Ancient Era! An Aqueduct built next to it will also supply a nearby city with Fresh Water for Housing Housing purposes.

But rivers do more than that. They provide a bulwark against invasions for any commander that knows how to use them; they turn Deserts into paradise by enabling the Floodplains feature; elsewhere they allow improved farming with the Civil Engineering Civic; they improve commerce thanks to the additional transport opportunities they provide for merchants.

Finally, you may use a River as means of finding the nearest sea in your early exploration. Every river flows from its source to either another river, or to a large body of water - just follow the flow direction.

Gathering Storm brings a whole new level of strategy to rivers: they are now areas of one of the brand new disasters: the flood. Pay attention to the areas marked as Floodplains (they can appear now not only in deserts, but also in plains and grassland areas) - they are the ones which will flood during disasters! You can still develop them normally, but floods may damage, or even outright destroy your improvements and districts placed there! However, they will also enrich the soil, adding Food and/or Production to their base yields, and making them potentially even more useful than before! So, developing floodplains becomes a calculated risk which may bring lots of pain or rich rewards.

River Names

Gathering Storm introduced a new mechanic in which Rivers can have different names based on the first civilization that finds them. Below is a list of river names and, where applicable, the civilization/s they are assigned to.

River	Civilization	Notes
Abukuma River	Japan	The 2nd longest river in the Tōhoku region and the 6th longest river in Japan.
Achelous River	Greece	It formed the boundary between Acarnania and Aetolia. In ancient times its spirit was venerated as the river god Achelous.
Agno River	None	A river on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is one of the largest river systems in the country.
Alazani River	Georgia	The main tributary of the Kura in eastern Georgia. Part of its path forms the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Amazon River	Brazil	The largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, the longest river in Brazil as well as South America, and second longest in the world.
Amiskwasîpi	Cree	Cree name of Beaver River. Flows east through Alberta and Saskatchewan and north into Lac Île-à-la-Crosse on the Churchill River which flows into Hudson Bay.
Amnok River	Korea	AKA "Yalu River".  A river on the border between North Korea and China.
Amu Darya River	None	Historically known by its Latin name "Oxus". A major river in Central Asia. Darya is Persian for "River", so it is also known as the Amu or Amo River.
Amur River	China, Russia	The world's 10th longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Manchuria.
Apurimaq Mayu	Inca	Quechua name of the Apurímac River. It flows generally northwest past Cusco and is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
Aras River	Ottomans	The river that flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, Turkey and the Nakhchivan area of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and finally through Azerbaijan to the Kura River.
Arkansas River	America	A major tributary of the Mississippi River. The 6th longest river in the United States, the 2nd longest tributary in the Mississippi–Missouri system, and the 45th longest river in the world.
Arno River	Rome	A river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Atbarah River	Nubia	A river in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, north of Lake Tana and west of Gondar. Referred by ancient authors as the Astabaras River.
Athabasca River	Canada	A river that originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada.
Atoyac River	Aztec	One of two Mexican rivers. One flows into the Rio Verde, which empties into the Pacific near Laguna Chacahua, west of Puerto Escondido. The other forms part of the Río Balsas.
Awriq Mayu	Inca	Quechua name for the Marañón River. The principal or mainstem source of the Amazon River.
Ayung River	Indonesia	The longest river on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Bahr Yussef	Egypt	A canal which connects the Nile River with Fayyum in Egypt. In ancient times, it was known as Mer-Wer (the Great Canal). The Arabic name refers to the prophet Yusuf, the Quranic counterpart of the Biblical Joseph.
Balsas River	Aztec	A major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river flows through the Sierra Madre del Sur, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.
Bani River	Mali	The pricipal tributary of the Niger River. Has three main tributaries: the Baoulé, the Bagoé River, and the Banifing-Lotio.
Barada River	Arabia	The main river found in the city of Damascus, the capital of Syria. The Barada is identified as 'Abana' in the Bible.
Barito River	Indonesia	A river of Borneo. This river is the location of the closest relative of the Malagasy language of Madagascar, the Ma'anyan language of Dayaks, from where settlers arrived in Madagascar from the 3rd to 10th century.
Bassac River	Khmer	The river starts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and flows southerly, crossing the border into Vietnam near Châu Đốc. In Vietnam it is known as the Hậu River.
Batanghari River	Indonesia	The longest river in the Jambi province, Sumatra island, Indonesia, about 600 km northwest of the capital of Jakarta.
Beirut River	Phoenicia	A river in Lebanon. According to popular legend, St. George slew the dragon in a spot near the mouth of the river. In antiquity, the river was known as Magoras, and it was the site of the worship of the god of Heliopolis.
Bengawan Solo River	Indonesia	The longest river in the Indonesian island of Java. it is a renowned region in paleoanthropology. Many discoveries of early hominid remains have been made at several sites in its valleys, including that of the first early human fossil found outside of Europe, the "Java Man" skull.
Bio-Bio River	Mapuche	The 2nd largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean.
Brahmaputra River	India	One of the major rivers of Asia, a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, India, and Bangladesh.
Brisbane River	Australia	The longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay.
Bug River	Poland	A tributary of the Narew River, the Bug River forms a part of the border between Ukraine and Poland and the border between Belarus and Poland for and is the 4th longest Polish river.
Bukhan River	Korea	A tributary of the Han River that flows through both North and South Korea. It traverses Kangwon province in North Korea and Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces in South Korea.
Chinchipe River	Inca	A river on the border between Ecuador and Peru. The river originates in Ecuador. In Ecuador and Peru, the river is also known as Canananbo, Chuquimayo, or Mayo. The river flows into the Maranon River.
Coatzacoalcos River	Aztec	A large river that feeds mainly the south part of the state of Veracruz; According to Mesoamerican legend, the god Quetzalcoatl was aboard a raft made of a serpent skin and navigated until getting lost into the horizon.
Colorado River	America	One of the principal rivers in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive watershed that encompasses parts of 7 U.S. and 2 Mexican states.
Columbia River	Canada, America	The longest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
Congo River	Kongo	Formerly known as the Zaire River, is the 2nd longest river in Africa, as well as the 2nd largest river in the world by discharge volume. It is also the world's deepest recorded river.
Cooper Creek	Australia	One of the most famous rivers in Australia because it was the site of the death of the explorers Burke and Wills in 1861. Also known as the Barcoo River from one of its tributaries and is 1 of 3 major Queensland river systems that flow into the Lake Eyre basin.
Dal River	Sweden	A river in central Sweden that flows from the north of Dalarna and runs into the sea in northern Uppland; it is commonly considered to be the southern border of Norrland.
Damietta River	Egypt	Also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see.
Danube River	Hungary, Germany	Europe's second longest river, after the Volga. It is located in Central and Eastern Europe. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania,  Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before draining into the Black Sea.
Darling River	Australia	The 3rd longest river in Australia. Including its longest contiguous tributaries, it is the longest river system in Australia. The Darling River is also the outback's most famous waterway.
Daugava River	Russia	A river rising in the Valdai Hills, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia and into the Gulf of Riga.
Delaware River	America	A major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It flows through five U.S. states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania. It is most famous for when President George Washington crossed the river on Christmas to engage the British at the Battle of Trenton.
Diyala River	Sumer	A river and tributary of the Tigris. It is formed by the confluence of Sirwan river and Tanjero river in Darbandikhan Dam in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Northern Iraq.
Dnieper River	Russia	The fourth longest river in Europe, flowing from Russia southwards through Belarus and Ukraine before draining into the Black Sea. It is a well known cultural barrier, separating Ukraine in two.
Dniester River	None
Don River	Russia, Scythia
Douro River	Spain
Dunajec River	Poland
Ebro River	Spain
Elbe River	Germany
Enguri River	Georgia
Euphrates River	Arabia, Sumer	Flowing southeast from its headwaters in Turkey through Syria and Iraq before draining into the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates, along with the Tigris, was one of the main rivers which Mesopotamian civilizations first rose up.
Eurotas River	Greece
River Forth	Scotland
Fraser River	Canada
Gambia River	Mali
Ganges River	India	A major river in northern India, flowing east from the Himalayas through India and Bangladesh before draining into the Bay of Bengal. Over 400,000,000 people live on the Ganges.
Geum River	Korea
Glomma River	Norway	Norway's longest river (also known as Glåma north of Akershus), which flows for 621km from its source, the lake Aursund near Røros in Trøndelag, to its mouth at Fredrikstad in eastern Norway, where it flows into the Oslofjord. It also flows through the lake Øyeren, in which the river has created Northern Europe's largest inland delta, and one of its tributaries, Vorma, serves to drain Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake.
Godavari River	India
Great Zab River	Sumer
Guadalquivir River	Spain
Guadiana River	Spain
Gudbrandsdalslågen	Norway	Together with the river Vorma, which is a result of this river's discharge into the lake Mjøsa, Gudbrandsdalslågen is the fourth longest river in Norway. It flows through the valley of Gudbrandsdalen in Eastern Norway, from its source at the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet to its mouth at the aforementioned lake Mjøsa.
Hai River	China
Haliacmon River	Macedon, Greece
Han River	Korea	Fourth longest river in Korea. It is formed by two tributaries which converge near South Korea's capital, Seoul.
Hutt River	Australia
IJssel River	Netherlands
Imjin River	Korea
Indal River	Sweden
Indus River	India	The longest river in Pakistan and 19th in the world. It is most well known for being the birthplace of the Indus River valley civilization (which is represented in Civilization VI as the city-state Mohenjo Daro).
Inkisi River	Kongo
Irrawaddy River	None	The longest and national river of Myanmar and 31st longest in the world.
Ishikari River	Japan
Itata River	Mapuche
Jājrūd River	Persia
Jordan River	Phoenicia, Arabia
Júcar River	Spain
Kapuas River	Indonesia
Karkheh River	Persia
Karun River	Persia
Kasai River	Kongo
Kātēpwēwi-sīpī	Cree
Kaveri River	India
Kawarau River	Māori
Kawatiri River	Māori
Kerülen River	Mongolia
Khabur River	Sumer
Kisiskāciwani-sīpiy	Cree, Canada
Kitakami River	Japan
Kızılırmak River	Ottomans
Klara River	Sweden
Körös River	Hungary
Kshipra River	India
Kura River	Georgia
Lek River	Netherlands
Lena River	Russia
Limpopo River	Zulu
Litani River	Phoenicia
Loire River	France
Lule River	Sweden
Mackenzie River	Canada
Madeira River	Brazil
Mahakam River	Indonesia
Maipo River	Mapuche, Inca
Mamberamo River	Indonesia
Mantō-sīpiy	Cree
Mapocho River	Mapuche
Mareb River	Nubia
Maritsa River	Greece
Mata-Au River	Māori
Maule River	Mapuche, Inca
Medjerda River	Phoenicia
Mekong River	Khmer
Meuse River	Netherlands, France
Mississippi River	America	The second longest river in North America, together with the Missouri River forms the third longest river in the world. It rises in Minnesota, flowing south, forming part of or all of the borders between US states Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana before draining into the Gulf of Mexico.
Missouri River	America	The longest tributary of the Mississippi River and the longest river in North America. It rises in Montana, flowing through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas before meeting the Mississippi River in Missouri.
Mixteco River	Aztec
Mogami River	Japan
Mtkvari River	Georgia
Murat River	Ottomans
Murray River	Australia
Murrumbidgee River	Australia
Musi River	Indonesia
Nakdong River	Korea
Narew River	Poland
Narmada River	India
Nestos River	Greece
Niger River	Mali
Nile River	Nubia, Arabia, Egypt	The longest river in Africa and the world, flowing from the African Great Lakes region northwards. Its drainage basin covers Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. It was where the Egyptian civilization, the first civilization in the world, rose to power.
Northern Dvina	Russia
Noteć River	Poland
Numedal River	Norway	Known as Numedalslågen in Norwegian and the third longest river in Norway. It flows from its source on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in central southern Norway, to its mouth in the town of Larvik, where it flows into the Skagerrak.
Ob River	Russia
Ochekwi-Sipi	Cree
Oder River	Poland, Germany
Ofanto River	Rome
Ohio River	America	The largest tributary of the Mississippi River, flowing west from the US state of Pennsylvania, forming the borders between Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before meeting the Mississippi River at the borders of Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri.
Okavango River	None
Orange River	None
Orinoco River	None
Orkhon River	Mongolia
Orontes River	Phoenicia
Otra River	Norway	The ninth longest river in Norway and the longest in the country's Sørlandet region. Begins in the mountains known as Setesdalsheiene, at the lake Breidvatnet, and ends at the town of Kristiansand, flowing into the Skagerrak.
Papaloapan River	Aztec
Paraguay River	None
Paraná River	Brazil
Paroo River	Australia
Pearl River	China	The third longest river in China and second largest by volume after the Yangtze. It is most well known for its delta, where Cantonese culture rose up.
Po River	Rome	A major river in northern Italy, its drainage basin services 1/3 of all of Italy's population.
Potomac River	America
Powinigow Sipi	Cree, Canada
Putumayu	Inca
Rába River	Hungary
Rakaia River	Māori
Rangatikei River	Māori
Rauma River	Norway	A river that flows through the valley of Romsdalen in Western and Eastern Norway. It begins at the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet and flows into the Romsdalsfjord, its mouth lying between the villages Åndalsnes and Veblungsnes in Møre og Romsdal county.
Red River	None
Rhine River	Netherlands, Germany, France	The eleventh longest river in Europe, rising in Switzerland and flowing mostly northwards through Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Germany, and draining the Netherlands. It was the northern boundary of the Roman Empire, as well as the desired boundary against Germany for France in medieval times.
Rhone River	France
Rio Grande	America
Río Negro	Brazil
Rioni River	Georgia
River Avon	England
River Clyde	Scotland
River Dee	Scotland
River Eden	England
River Great Ouse	England
River Severn	England	The longest river in the United Kingdom.
River Spey	Scotland
River Tay	Scotland
River Tees	England
River Trent	England
River Welland	England
Rosetta River	Egypt
Rubicon River	Rome	A small river in Italy known for its association with the Latin phrase 'Alea iacta est', uttered by Julius Caesar in 49 BC as he crossed the Rubicon with his troops against Roman general Pompey. The phrase, meaning 'the die is cast', has been transliterated into English as 'crossing the Rubicon', another phrase with an identical meaning.
Saint Lawrence River	Canada, America	A river that connects the Great Lakes of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the international boundary between Canada and the United States east of Lake Ontario, between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. It is also the primary river in Quebec, where it ultimately drains.
Sakarya River	Ottomans
Salween River	China
San River	Poland
Sankarani River	Mali
Sankuru River	Kongo
São Francisco River	Brazil
Saraswati River	India
Scheldt River	Netherlands
Se Kong River	Khmer
Sefīd River	Persia
Seine River	France
Senegal River	Mali
Seomjin River	Korea
Shinano River	Japan
Songhua River	China
Srepok River	Khmer
Struma River	Macedon, Greece
Susquehanna River	America
Syr Darya River	Scythia
Tagus River	Spain
Tapiskwan Sipi	Cree
Tarim River	China
Te Awakairangi	Māori
Tehuantepec River	Aztec
Tenryu River	Japan
Teshio River	Japan
River Thames	England	The second longest river in Great Britain, it is most known for being the river which flows through London.
Tiber River	Rome	The third longest river in Italy, it is most known for being the river which flows through Rome.
Tigris River	Sumer, Arabia	Flowing southeast from its headwaters in Turkey through Syria and Iraq before draining into the Persian Gulf, the Tigris, along with the Euphrates, was one of the main rivers which Mesopotamian civilizations first rose up.
Tisza River	Hungary
Tocantins River	Brazil
Toltén River	Mapuche
Tonalá River	Aztec
Tone River	Japan
Tongariro River	Māori
Tonlé San River	Khmer
Tonlé Sap River	Khmer
Torne River	Sweden
Truful-Truful River	Mapuche
Tshuapa River	Kongo
Tugela River	Zulu
Tuul River	Mongolia
Ucayali River	Inca
Umfolozi River	Zulu
Umzimkulu River	Zulu
uMzinyathi River	Zulu
Ural River	Russia, Scythia
Vardar River	Macedon
Vistula River	Poland
Volga River	Russia, Scythia
Waal River	Netherlands
Wadi Al-Batin	Arabia
Wadi al-Rummah	Arabia
Wadi Hanifa	Arabia
Waiapu River	Māori
Waiau River	Māori
Waikato River	Māori
Waimakariri River	Māori
Waitaki River	Māori
Wallaqa Mayu	Inca
Warrego River	Australia
Warta River	Poland
Wazalafken River	Mapuche
Wei River	China
Weser River	Germany
Whanganui River	Māori
Willkamayu	Inca
Wisłoka River	Poland
Wuskwi Sipi	Cree
Yamuna River	India
Yangtze River	China	The longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It flows east from the Tibetan Plateau to the East China Sea, its drainage basin covering 1/5 of all of China, with 1/3 of China's population living within its basin. It is culturally known as the line that divides north China from south China.
Yellow River	China	The second longest river in China and the sixth longest in the world. It rises in the Bayan Har mountains in Qinghai Province, flowing east to the Bohai Sea. It is the birthplace of Chinese civilization.
Yenisei River	Mongolia, Russia
Yeşilırmak River	Ottomans
Yukon River	Canada, America
Zagyva River	Hungary
Zambezi River	None
Zavkhan River	Mongolia
Zāyandé River	Persia