Rivers and Life

The Mississippi is a river of sound - music, wildlife, voices, weather, even the sound of the river itself. This is the iconic North American river, home to paddle-steamers, Mark Twain, a key route in the story of slavery, and of New Orleans. The devastating flood of 1927 and the hurricane of 2005 laid bare the divisions that still exist in the worlds richest nation.

The Nile encapsulates the story of ancient civilisation and the story of modern conflict and modern consumerism. From the dawn of civilization the waters of ancient Egypt have facilitated their entire economy, culture and religion. Were it not for the capricious forces of the Nile, the enduring architectural edifices of the Pyramids might never have been built.

It's an inspiration and a thing of beauty in itself but in addition the Rhine is also an industrial and economic force making it the busiest waterway in the world. It flows from the Swiss mountains through Austria, Germany, France and Luxembourg to the Netherlands. Many densely populated cities and towns are clustered along the River, bringing the total population of the Rhine Basin to approximately 50 million. The history of the Rhine is the history of Europes divisions and also its unity.

The Yangtze basin is home to 400 million people, making it one of the most densely populated river basins on earth. All those people have learned to live over generations with floods and disasters but thats about to change.