Left-Right River Bank Reference Video
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"To say the east bank or the south bank or the north bank or the west bank makes it is rendered incoherent by a meandering river"
Introduction
Hello team! Today's video is a geography lesson in response to a viewer comment about the use of "left bank" and "right bank" when referring to sides of a river, specifically in relation to the war in Ukraine. The comment suggested these terms were arbitrary and that cardinal directions like north/south/east/west should be used instead. Jonathan disagrees and is creating this video as a reference to explain the geographical conventions around this terminology.
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Why "left bank" and "right bank" are used
When a river meanders and changes direction, the cardinal directions of north/south/east/west banks become inconsistent and confusing. The banks can be on multiple sides depending on the specific section of river. The conventional geographical terminology is to refer to the "left bank" and "right bank" in the direction that the river flows. This provides a consistent reference frame for the entire length of the river. Jonathan illustrates this point using the example of the meandering Mokri Yali river near Velika Novosilka. As the river winds back and forth, the cardinal directions of the banks change frequently. But the left and right banks remain the same in reference to the direction of the water flow.
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Potential confusion on maps
Jonathan acknowledges that using "left bank" and "right bank" can seem counter-intuitive on a map oriented with north at the top, since the left bank appears on the right side of the map and vice versa. However, once you understand the terminology refers to the flow direction of the river, it resolves this confusion. Most analysts covering the Ukraine war, such as Ukraine Latest and the Institute for the Study of War, use the "left bank"/"right bank" terminology. Some also add the cardinal directions in parentheses for added clarity given the potential confusion.
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Wrap up
Jonathan notes that he is not 100% sure which direction the Mokri Yali river actually flows and that it could be northwards rather than southwards as he assumed for the example. However, this doesn't change the overall explanation of why "left bank" and "right bank" are the appropriate geographical terms to use when referring to the sides of a river. He hopes this reference video helps clarify the matter for those viewers who were confused by the terminology.
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