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	Wadi ( ; also: Vadi) is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley; in some cases it may refer to a dry riverbed Stream bed A stream bed is the channel bottom of a stream, river or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. The lateral confines or channel margins, during all but flood stage, are known as the stream banks or river banks.... that contains water only during times of heavy rain. Variant names In North Africa North Africa North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:... the transcription Transcription (linguistics) Transcription is the conversion into written, typewritten or printed form, of a spoken language source, such as the proceedings of a court hearing.... oued is used. In southwestern Africa Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area.... , the term rivier is used, which is the Afrikaans word for "river". The term kouri is used in Hausa Hausa language Hausa is the Chadic languages with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 24 million people, and as a second language by about 15 million more.... speaking and surrounding areas of West Africa West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:... . The Hebrew Hebrew language Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world.... term nahaland Hindi/Urdu term "Nala" is synonymous in meaning and usage. Some names of Spanish locations are derived from Andalusi Arabic Andalusi Arabic Andalusian Arabic was a Varieties of Arabic of the Arabic language spoken in Al-Andalus, the regions of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule.... toponyms where was used to mean a permanent river, for example Guadalcanal, Seville, Guadalajara Guadalajara Guadalajara may refer to the following places:: Mexico::Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico: Spain::Guadalajara , a province in Castile-La Mancha:Guadalajara ... from wadi al-hidjarah = "river of stones", or Guadalquivir Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in Spain , and the longest in Andalusia. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers.... from al-wadi al-kabir = "the great river". The term is very widely found in Arabic Arabic language Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language.... toponyms. Hydrological action Modern English usage differentiates a wadi from another canyon Canyon A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level.... or wash Wash Wash may refer to:* Wash , a usually dry creek bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain* WASH, a Clear Channel Communications radio station... by the action and prevalence of water. Wadis, as drainage courses, are formed by water, but are distinguished from river valleys or gullies in that surface water is intermittent or ephemeral. Wadis, cut by stream Stream A stream is a body of water less than 60 feet wide with a current , confined within a stream bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as brook, beck, Burn , creek, crick, kill, lick , rill, river syke, bayou, rivu... in a desert Désert ?D?sert? is ?milie Simon's debut single, released in October 2002. The song was a huge success both critically and commercially in her homeland.... environment, generally are dry year round except after a rain. The desert environment is characterized by a sudden but infrequent heavy rainfall often resulting in flash floods. Crossing wadis at certain times of the year can be dangerous because of unexpected flash flood Flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers and streams. It is caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm.... s. Such flash floods cause several deaths each year in North America North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere.... and many Middle East Middle East File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.... ern countries. Wadis tend to be associated with centers of human population because sub-surface water is sometimes available in them. Nomadic and pastoral desert peoples will rely on seasonal vegetation found in wadis, even in regions as dry as the Sahara Sahara The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert. At over 9,000,000 square kilometers , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe.... , as they travel in complex transhumance Transhumance Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock over relatively short distances, typically to higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter.... routes. The centrality of wadis to water - and human life - in desert environments gave birth to the distinct sub-field of "Wadi Hydrology" in the 1990s. Wadi deposits Deposition in a wadi is rapid because of the sudden loss of stream velocity Velocity In physics, velocity is defined as the Derivative of Position vector. It is a vector physical quantity; both speed and direction are required to define it.... and seepage of water into the porous sediment. Wadi deposits are thus usually poorly-sorted gravels and sands. These sediments are often reworked by eolian processes. Over time, wadi deposits may become "Inverted Wadis" where the presence at one time of underground water caused vegetation and sediment to fill in the Wadi's eroded channel to the point that previous washes appear as ridges running through desert regions. Biblical references Job speaks of his friends whom he calls brothers as being like these wadis. The Jewish Study Bible transliterated the word "brook" in for the word "wadi". The commentator notes, "Wadi, a seasonal stream that may be dangerously overflowing in winter and dry in summer". In his commentator books Albert Barnes Albert Barnes Albert Barnes was an United States theology, born at Rome, New York, on December 1, 1798. He graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, in 1820, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1823.... , notes: "The idea here is, that travelers in a caravan would approach the place where water had been found before, but would find the fountain dried up or the stream lost in the sand; and when they looked for refreshment, they found only disappointment". See also Synonymous landforms Arroyo (creek) Arroyo (creek) An arroyo , also called a wash or draw, is a usually dry stream bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain, or seasonally.... Canyon Canyon A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level.... Gulch Gulch A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry Creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully.... Gully Gully A gully is a landform created by running water erosion sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width.... wash (creek) External links , International Hydrological Programme International Hydrological Programme The International Hydrological Programme is one of UNESCO's scientific programmes, which focuses on the use and availability of water.... , UNESCO UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945.... . : Water resources division.