Thalweg 744639 203754579 2008-04-06T14:29:58Z SmackBot 433328 Add references section and/or general fixes. {{Refimprove|date=February 2008}} '''Thalweg''' ({{pronEng|ˈtɑːlvɛg}}<ref>OED</ref>; an [[English language|English]] word compounded from the German elements ''Thal'' (since [[Konrad Duden|Duden]]'s [[German orthography|orthography reform of 1901]] written ''Tal'') meaning ''valley'', and ''Weg'', meaning ''way'') is a term adopted into [[English language|English]] usage for [[geography]] and [[geomorphology]]. It signifies the deepest continuous line along a [[valley]] or [[watercourse]]. In [[hydrology]], the '''thalweg''' (sometimes called the "valley line") is a line drawn to join the lowest points along the entire length of a streambed or valley in its downward slope, defining its deepest channel. It thus marks the natural direction (the profile) of a watercourse. The thalweg is almost always the line of fastest flow in any river. The term is also sometimes used to refer to a subterranean stream that percolates under the surface and in the same general direction as the surface stream. In [[geomorphology]], the '''thalweg''' is the continuous line that follows the path of maximum slope or descent between two points. As such, it is at right angles to all contour lines. This definition encompasses the line connecting the lowest points along the valley floor or bed of a stream. The '''[[thalweg principle]]''' is the principle which defines the [[border]] between two [[state]]s separated by a watercourse as lying along the thalweg. The precise drawing of river borders has been important on countless occasions; notable examples include the [[Shatt al-Arab]] (known as Arvand Rud in Iran) between [[Iran-Iraq boundary|Iraq and Iran]], the [[Danube]] in central [[Europe]], the [[Kasikili|Kasikili/Sedudu]] Island dispute between [[Namibia]] and [[Botswana]], settled by the [[International Court of Justice]] in [[1999]].[http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?case=98&p1=3&p2=1&p3=6&pr=318&search=%22botswana%22] ==References== <references /> [[Category:Physical geography]] [[Category:Stratigraphy]] [[cs:Spádová křivka]] [[de:Talweg]] [[es:Vaguada (geomorfología)]] [[eo:Talvego]] [[fa:خط‌القعر]] [[fr:Talweg]] [[nl:Talweg]] [[no:Thalweg]] [[pt:Talvegue]] [[ru:Тальвег]]