流域是以分水岭为界的一个河流、湖泊或海洋等的所有水系所覆盖的区域，以及由水系构成的集水区。 地面上以分水岭为界之区域称为流域。 流域内之迳流集中于最低点而流出。 最低点通常设有水文站量测流量或水位。 流域内水文现象与流域特性有密切关系。

按水体是否与海洋连通，可分为外流区和内流区。 外流区可按连通的大洋分为太平洋流域、大西洋流域、印度洋流域和北冰洋流域。并可进一步按河流、湖泊甚至一个支流细分，如长江流域。 世界上流域面积最大的河流是亚马孙河。

太平洋流域约占地球上陆地面积的13%，印度洋流域也占约13%，而大西洋流域最多，约占47%——这其中包括密西西比河、刚果河和亚马孙河等大河流域。

A drainage basin or catchment basin is an extent or an area of land where all surface water from rain, melting snow, or ice converges to a single point at a lower elevation, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean. Thus if a tributary stream joins a brook that in turn joins a small river which is a tributary of a larger river, there is a series of successively larger (and lower elevation) drainage basins. For instance, the Missouri and Ohio rivers are within their own drainage basins and also within the drainage basin of the Mississippi River.