A River is a type of terrain feature in Civilization VI. It exists almost everywhere in the world, and runs between tiles. It always ends in a body of Water.
- 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 founded next to it can construct the Dam district to mitigate flooding.
- 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.
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 |
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 Northeastern China |
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. The river is famous for white water rafting. |
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, which is the more important of the two rivers of Damascus, Syria and was mentioned in the Book of Kings (2 Kings 5:12). |
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 China, 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. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1823 |
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 largest 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 for 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 drains in five U.S. states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania. It is most famous for when President George Washington crossed the river the night of Christmas to engage 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 | |
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 | |
Eurotas River | Greece | |
River Forth | Scotland | |
Fraser River | Canada | |
Gambia River | Mali | |
Ganges River | India | |
Geum River | Korea | |
Glomma River | Norway | |
Godavari River | India | |
Great Zab River | Sumer | |
Guadalquivir River | Spain | |
Guadiana River | Spain | |
Gudbrandsdalslågen | Norway | |
Hai River | China | |
Haliacmon River | Macedon, Greece | |
Han River | Korea | |
Hutt River | Australia | |
IJssel River | Netherlands | |
Imjin River | Korea | |
Indal River | Sweden | |
Indus River | India | |
Inkisi River | Kongo | |
Irrawaddy River | None | |
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 | |
Missouri River | America | |
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 | |
Northern Dvina | Russia | |
Noteć River | Poland | |
Numedal River | Norway | |
Ob River | Russia | |
Ochekwi-Sipi | Cree | |
Oder River | Poland, Germany | |
Ofanto River | Rome | |
Ohio River | America | |
Okavango River | None | |
Orange River | None | |
Orinoco River | None | |
Orkhon River | Mongolia | |
Orontes River | Phoenicia | |
Otra River | Norway | |
Papaloapan River | Aztec | |
Paraguay River | None | |
Paraná River | Brazil | |
Paroo River | Australia | |
Pearl River | China | |
Po River | Rome | |
Potomac River | America | |
Powinigow Sipi | Cree, Canada | |
Putumayu | Inca | |
Rába River | Hungary | |
Rakaia River | Māori | |
Rangatikei River | Māori | |
Rauma River | Norway | |
Red River | None | |
Rhine River | Netherlands, Germany, France | |
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 | |
River Spey | Scotland | |
River Tay | Scotland | |
River Tees | England | |
River Trent | England | |
River Welland | England | |
Rosetta River | Egypt | |
Rubicon River | Rome | |
Saint Lawrence River | Canada, America | |
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 | |
Tiber River | Rome | |
Tigris River | Sumer, Arabia | |
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 | |
Yellow River | China | |
Yenisei River | Mongolia, Russia | |
Yeşilırmak River | Ottomans | |
Yukon River | Canada, America | |
Zagyva River | Hungary | |
Zambezi River | None | Unclear |
Zavkhan River | Mongolia | |
Zāyandé River | Persia |