What is a Wetland?

A wetland is an area that is part land and part water and in which water is the controlling
environmental factor. Wetlands have the following three characteristics:

• The water table remains at or near the land surface, & water covers the land for part of the year.

• The soils are hydric (wet for most of the year and low in oxygen).

• The plants that grow there are adapted for life in water or saturated soil (hydrophytes).


Explore different types of wetlands and find out how they are formed:

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