Where does the river Ganga originate?
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This question examines an important river-or-lake fact: “Where does the river Ganga originate?” The correct answer is Gangotri. The Ganga River originates from the Gangotri Glacier in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The river formed here is first called Bhagirathi before being joined by Alaknanda at Devprayag to form the Ganga. A river system includes its source, tributaries, distributaries, drainage basin, watershed, channel, floodplain, delta or estuary and final outlet. River behaviour depends on relief, geology, rainfall, snowmelt, sediment load, vegetation and human intervention. Examination questions often confuse a river’s source with its mouth, a left-bank tributary with a right-bank tributary, or a natural lake with a reservoir.