Wikitravel:Bodies of water Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
This style guideline discusses the place of bodies of water, like rivers, lakes, oceans, and seas, in Wikitravel.
In general, we don't write a single destination guide article about a body of water. Information about bodies of water is more informative for travellers on other pages.
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Transportation
Bodies of water often serve as conduits for, or obstacles to, getting between two points. For example, you sail over the English Channel to get from the United Kingdom to France; you can't cross the Danube except in a few places.
Most of the time, using bodies of water as transportation is a subject treated in the Get in or Get out section of destinations. Ferry info for the English Channel can be found on United Kingdom#Get in or France#Get in, for example. But there may be exceptions: you won't find the complete description on how to get from Belem to Manaus via the Amazon river in Belem#Get out (see also: Itineraries).
Regions
Some regions are best described by a major body of water in the region. For example, the Lake Tahoe region in California is named after the lake there.
Note that region articles named after bodies of water aren't about those bodies of water. Lake Tahoe is about the towns, national parks, and ski resorts that ring the lake.
Attractions
Some bodies of water can be attractions -- things to "See" or "Do" in a city or region. The Seine River in Paris is an interesting attraction; Lake Merritt in Oakland is worth a walk.
Bodies of water as attractions are formatted just like any other attraction; see attraction listings for details.
Itineraries
Bodies of water can also define paths for an itinerary. Two weeks down the Mississippi River by car could describe driving from the headwaters of that river to the Gulf of Mexico. One month around the Black Sea could describe circumnavigating that large inland sea.
The mode of transportation doesn't have to be land-based, of course. Sailing the Inland Passage could describe an itinerary for traveling this waterway on the East Coast of the USA.
Travel topics
Bodies of water can also be useful for travel topics. Sailing the Caribbean Sea could describe navigational, customs, or other issues with sailing around that body of water. Scuba-diving in the Gulf of Mexico could give tips for good diving spots around the Gulf.
