Floodplain a wide, flat area surrounding a river where periodic flooding occurs

These floods deposit nutrient-rich sediments which make floodplains excellent

farmland.
Some Famous Examples:
Mississippi River

Nile River

Yellow River (Huang He)

Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia)

Ganges River

Indus River

A Floodplain during normal river flow

Floodplains are usually extremely

fertile, since flooding brings fresh
nutrient-rich sediments to cover the
ground. This makes floodplain excellent
farming areas.
Early civilizations all arose around
floodplains, because farming was so
easy there. Ancient Egypt,
Mesopotamia, India, and China all
developed along river valleys with
fertile floodplains.

A Floodplain during flood stage

Delta a landform created at the mouth (end) of a river when sediments pile up
As the rivers current slows down it deposits nutrient-rich sediments which form deltas.
Deltas are often marshes
(swamp or wetlands)
because they are low-lying
and formed by slowlyflowing water. The
Mississippi Delta region
makes up a large portion of
the state of Louisiana.