The world has many longest rivers but have you ever thought about which river is the longest? , Actually measuring rivers length is very difficult and the measurement of rivers in the sense of length will work only on approximations. There are many disagreements between the scientists that which river is the longest between Amazon and Nile. We are also listing the rivers around the world and the data is based on what the majority researchers agree upon. We will discuss about the longest rivers in the world.
There are three factors on which the researchers have listed the rivers namely length, drainage area, and the river’s average discharge. For billions of years, these rivers are flowing and have seen many civilization and empires rise and fall. Rivers can also be considered as nature beautiful creation where billions of waters flowing through the land and moving towards the sea. Below are the 15 longest rivers in the world,
Longest River In The World
1. Nile River- 6,650 km (4,132 miles)
It is one of the major rivers of North-East Africa. The river has a length of 6,650 km which makes it the longest river in the world. The water of the Nile River is shared by 11 countries namely Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. One of the most famous rivers in the world, located in Africa has been formed by two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
The Ancient Egyptian civilization was totally dependent on the Nile for food and drinking water. Also, Egypt has minimal rainfalls across the world, so the people are dependent on yearly floods that were caused by the heavy rainfall in Ethiopia because it supplies thick rich mud ideal for the cultivation of crops.
2. Amazon River- 6,400 km (3,976 miles)
The Amazon River has the length of 6,400 km that makes it the second-longest river in the world. The river is also one of the widest in the world. The river starts in South America and ends in the Atlantic Ocean. The river is so much power that it discharges 8 trillion of water from its mouth every day. Amazon ecosystem is also stated as ‘larger than life’ and it the most expansive rainforest in the world. The river is known for its fresh water, biodiversity and indispensable oxygen, However, 15 million years ago, It is believed that the Amazon River used to flow in the opposite direction.
Later, it took approximately 5 million years for freshwater lakes to be formed and the river to find its outlet in an ocean. Now it the world second largest river in the world pouring 12,540,000 cubic meters of water every minute. You will also find interesting reading about the fact about rivers.
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3. Yangtze River- 6,300 km (3,917 miles)
It is also called Chang Jiang. The rivers cover about 6,418 kilometers while it goes into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It originates from the glaciers of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai. The Yangtze River is the largest in the longest river in China and home to approximately one-third population of the country.
Though it is listed as the third largest river in the world after Nile and Amazon it is the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. The river is discharging at over 30,000 cubic meters (1,059,440 cubic feet) a second making it the sixth largest river in the world by the volume of water is discharged. The third largest river in the world rises in in Tanggula Mountain and flows through the eastwards and pours itself into the East China Sea. The river flows across Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai from west to east.
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4. Mississippi River- 6,275 km (3,902 miles)
The river is the chief source of the largest river system in North America. The river covers around 4,070 km. It flows entirely in the United States. The drainage basins of the river also reach Canada. The rivers pass through the borders of Minnesota, Lowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The river has many tributaries and it is also rated as the fourth longest and tenth largest river in the world. These facts make it one of the most famous and longest rivers in the world.
The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers combined to form the longest river system in the USA and North America. The widest point of the river is over 11 kilometres in width. The river has its deepest spot in New Orleans near Algiers Point which is approximately 61 meters, however, the whole river can be divided into three sections the Upper Mississippi, the Middle Mississippi and the Lower Mississippi. From the Upper Mississippi the river from its headwaters to the confluence with the Missouri River, later on, the Middle Mississippi is considered as downriver from Missouri to the Ohio River and finally the Lower Mississippi that flows from Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico.
5.Yenisei River- 5,539km (3,445 miles)
The Yenisei can also be written as Yenisey. The river rises in Mongolia then flows through Russia and finally drains into the Kara Sea. It is the largest part of the Siberian Rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean making it one of the longest river in the world. The river tributaries include the Lower Tunguska, the Angara River and the Tunguska River and it flows through the city of Krasnoyarsk.
The ancient nomadic tribes lived on the banks of the Yenisei that includes the Yugh people, the Ket people, the Kotts, Asians and Arians. The average depth of the river os 14 metres, however, at certain places it is as deep as 24 metres. Also, read about incredible natural swimming pools in the world.
6. Yellow River- 5,464km (3,395 miles)
It is the third longest river in Asia. It flows around 5,464 kilometres before it drains into the Bohai Sea near the city of Dongying in Shandong province. The river additionally known as Huang is listed as the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River with a length of 5,464 kilometres. It is originating from the Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai province in western China and flows through the 9 provinces of China and empties into the Bohai Sea.
The headwater of the yellow river originates at an elevation of 4,500 meters. It is named yellow because of the huge amount of sediments that turn water yellow. It is quite slow and sluggish along most of its course and therefore known as the world’s muddiest major river that discharges three times the sediment of the Mississippi River.
7. Ob River- 5,410km (3,364 miles)
It is one of the most important rivers in western Siberia, Russia. It is also the junction of the Katun and Biya rivers. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian Rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean. The other two the Yenisei River and the Lena River. If we see them together they are one of the longest rivers in the world.
It is formed from the junction of the Biya and Katun rivers and later joined by the Tom River in the western lowlands of Siberia. The river splits into more than one arm after joining the large Irtysh tributary. The source of the Irtysh to the mounth of the Ob river, the river flows is the longest in Russia at 5,410 km.
8. Parana River- 4,880km (3,030 miles)
The source of the river is in South America. It flows through the three countries namely Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. If we consider the length it is the second largest river in South America and one of the longest rivers in the world. The river takes a course of 3,032 miles (4,880 km) till it joins the Uruguay River to form the extensive Río de la Plata estuary of the Atlantic Ocean.
The river drainage basin is one of the largest with an area of about 1,081,000 square miles (2,800,000 square km) that includes the area of Paraguay, southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina and southeastern Bolivia. The upper course of the river is known for its three tributaries, namely the Tiete, the Paranapanema, and the Iguacu and all these three tributaries have their sources near the Atlantic coast in southeastern Brazil.
Also Read: 10 Longest Rivers In The World
9. Congo River- 4,700km (2,922 miles)
The river originates in Africa. Along with the 9th longest river in the world. The river along with its whole tributaries flows along the Congo rainforest which is the second rainforest after Amazon Rainforest. In the past, it is also known as Zaire River. It is also the third largest river in the world by volume of water discharged. Nature has given many beautiful lakes around the world.
The river is the main source of transportation in Central Africa. The Congo River is the extremely powerful river in Africa with an average of 41,000 cubic meters flows into the Atlantic ocean every second from the river. It is also listed as the deepest river in the world with a depth of over 230 meters. Additionally known as Zaire River has got its name from the ancient Kongo Kingdom who lived across the mouth of the river. Th source of the river is in the mountains and highlands of the East African Rift including Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru.
10. Amur River- 4,444km (2,763 miles)
It is the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China and one of the longest river in the world. It is also known as Heilong Jiang. The river flows east forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China after that it will create a great arc towards the southeast where it will add many tributaries and passes through many small towns. The river is formed by the junction of Shilka River and the Argun River.
The former rises in rises in the Russian Federation and later in the Argun River. The main tributaries are the Sungari River and the Ussuri River that also forms part of the Manchurian-Siberian border. The drainage basin of the river is approximately 1,844,000 sq km that includes its 200 tributaries and has the tenth largest river basin in the world.
11. Lena River- 4,400 km (2,736 miles)
Lena River is the easternmost river of the three great Siberian rivers that flows into the Arctic Ocean. The other two rivers are Ob’ and the Yenisey. If we talk of the length it is the 11th longest river in the world. The annual discharge of the river is around 588 cubic kilometres per year. The longest river that flows into the Russian Federation. The source of the mountain is Baikal Mountains, south of the Central Siberian Plateau and river empties into the Laptev Sea, an area of the Arctic Ocean, in the northeast of the Russian Federation.
12. Mekong River- 4,350 km (2,705 miles)
The world’s 12th longest river in the world situated in Southeast Asia with an estimated length of 4,350 km (2,703 mi). The annual discharge of the water 475 km3 of water annually. Starting from the Tibetan Plateau, the river runs from China’s Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In China, a river is known as Lancang Jiang, whilst in Thailand and in Laos it is called Mae Kong or Mae Nam Kong, both meaning “mother water”.
13. Mackenzie–Slave–Peace–Finlay- 4,241 km (2,637 miles)
Also known as Mackenzie River is one of the longest rivers in the world and the longest river system in Canada with an estimated length of 4,241 km (2,637 miles). The river flows through the vast region of forest and tundra entirely within the Canadian Northwest Territories along with other tributaries flowing through other parts of Canada. The mainstream of the river of length 1,738 kilometres that flow from Great Slave Lake into the Arctic Ocean.
14. Niger River- 4,200 km (2,611 miles)
Western Africa’s major river flows from south-eastern Guinea to Nigeria and later to the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf of New Guinea. The source of the river is the Guinea Highlands. One of the longest rivers in the world with a length of 4,200 km (2,611 miles) with its main tributaries includes Sokoto River, Kaduna River, Benue River, and Bani River. One of the largest dams built on the river is the Kainji Dam which provides electricity and helps to control flooding.
15. Brahmaputra–Tsangpo- 3,848 km (2,391 miles)
One of the major rivers in Asia that flows through three countries China, India and Bangladesh has an estimated length of 3,848 km (2,391 miles). The river has its origins in the young Himalayan range through the Tibet and India and finally merges with the sea in Bangladesh by opening its streams like the roots of a large Banyan tree. The Chinese name of the river is Tsangpo.
These are the 15 longest rivers in th world. Do post your comments.
