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Waterways
A waterways is any navigable body of
water. A shipping route consists of
one or several waterways. Waterways
can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans,
and canals. Ships, steamers, ferries
and boats are means of water
transport. Ships sail in the oceans and seas, carrying all types of goods from one part
of the world to another.

A river that can be used by boats and other means of waterways is called navigable
river. People use ferry boats to cross wide rivers, where there are no bridges. Big rivers
like the Ganga and Brahmaputra are used extensively as an inland means of water
transport. The backwaters of Kerala are also widely used for water transport. Water
transport may be slow as compared to road, rail or air transport but it is a cheap way to
transport bulky goods over long distances. Huge boats called steamers and big ships
carrying heavy loads like food grains, minerals, machines, oil, etc. from one port to
another sail the seas and oceans.

A port is a loca on on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can
dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land. Port loca ons are selected to
op mize access to land and navigable water, for commercial demand, and for shelter
from wind and waves. Ports with
deeper water are rarer, but can
handle larger, more economical
ships.

Different means of transport have
made our life more comfortable.
People and goods are transported
by land, water or air within a short

me. The progress of a country
depends on a good transport
network.

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