A pond can be defined as a body of water (normally fresh water, but occasionally brackish), which can vary in size between 1m2 and 2 hectares (this is equivalent in size to about 2.5 football pitches), and which holds water for four months of the year or more.
Ponds are found in gardens, towns and villages and there are many types of ponds out in the countryside on farmland, floodplains and heathlands; in woods, on grasslands and on moors.
Many ponds have been created by people, however, there are plenty of examples of ponds that have been sculpted by nature, for example, by meandering rivers or eroding glaciers, or by a tree falling over, leaving the root pit exposed, or even by the action of animals, such as wild boar.
