Longest Rivers of the World: List Of Rivers

Longest Rivers of the World Nile river is the longest where as the Amazon is the largest river of the world. A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. It is a part of the hydrological cycle;

water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpack (e.g., from glaciers).

List of Longest Rivers in the World

Here, It’s the list of top 10 longest rivers in the world with total length, location, drainage area, drain name and covered countries.

River Name	Location	Length (Miles)	Length (KM)	Drinage area	Drain	Countries
Nile	Africa	4130	6650	32,54,555	Mediterranean Sea	Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan
Amazon	South America	4086	6575	70,50,000	Atlantic Ocean	Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana
Yangtze	China	3917	6300	18,00,000	South China Sea	China
Mississippi	USA	3902	6275	29,80,000	Gulf Of Maxico	USA, Canada
Yenisei-Angara-Selenge-Ider	Russia	3445	5539	2,580,000	Kara Sea	Russia, Mongolia
Yellow	China	3398	5464	745,000	Bohai Sea	China
Ob-Irtysh	Russia	3364	5410	2,990,000	Gulf of Ob	Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia
Parana	Uruguay	3030	4880	2,582,672	Rio de la Plata	Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay
Congo	Africa	2922	4700	3,680,000	Atlantic Ocean	Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
Amur	Asia	2800	4480	1,855,000	Sea of Okhotsk	Russia, China, Mongolia

Overview

The Longest River in the World: Nile River: 6650 Km

The Nile river is considered to be the longest river in the world. Lake Victoria is considered to be the source of the river. It flow through the Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Blue and the White Nile are the two tributaries of the river. Although for most of us, the the Nile River is longest river in world, there is a section of scholars who regard the Amazon River as the true winner of this title. Large rivers like the Nile and Amazon have numerous sources and many large and small tributaries. The need to find the furthest source of a river is there if the true length of the river has to be calculated. Often, such sources are located in remote and inaccessible locations, rendering the discovery of such sources an arduous task.

The Amazon River

The Amazon River is undoubtedly the largest river in the world by discharge volume of water. However, its position as the second-longest river in the world is highly disputed as the title has for long been granted to the Nile River in Egypt. The dispute arises from the determination of the origin of the Amazon. A recent 2014 study claims that the origin of the Amazon can be traced to the Cordillera Rumi Cruz.

The Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the world’s third longest river and the longest to flow entirely within one country. It is also the longest river in Asia. The river basin of the Yangtze houses one-third of the population of the most populated country in the world i.e., China. Traditionally, the government of China recognizes the Tuotuo tributary located in the Tanggula Mountains as the source of the river. According to new data, however, the source of the Yangtze River is located in the Jari Hill from where the headwaters of the Dam Qu tributary originate. These tributaries, and more join to form the mighty Yangtze River which finally drains into the East China Sea at Shanghai.

The Mississippi River

The river system comprising of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Jefferson rivers, is regarded as the world’s fourth longest river system. The river system drains 31 US states and 2 Canadian provinces. The Mississippi River begins in northern Minnesota where Lake Itasca is believed to be the source of the river and drains into the Gulf of Mexico. However, when we regarded the Jefferson River as the furthest source of the Mississippi River, then we get the Mississippi–Missouri–Jefferson river system.

The Yenisei River

This is the world’s fifth-longest river system and the largest draining into the Arctic Ocean. The Selenge River is regarded as the headwaters of this river system. The Selenge River is 992 km long and drains into Lake Baikal. The Angara river rises from Lake Baikal near Listvyanka and flows through the Irkutsk Oblast of Russia and finally joins the Yenisei River near Strelka. The Yenisei finally drains into the Arctic Ocean. The total length covered is 5,539 miles.

The Yellow River

Called the Yellow River for its color, it is the result of huge amounts of loose sediment in the water, this massive river is also known as the Huang He. Its basin is considered to be the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and it still holds great value for the country, both practically and symbolically.

The Ob-Irtysh River

The Ob-Irtysh, also known as the Ob River, represents one of the three great Siberian rivers, along with the Yenisei and the Lena. It extends from the Altas Mountains and flows into the Arctic Ocean.

The Parana River

Located in South America, the Parana River is one of the longest rivers in the world and the second largest on the continent. Its name is an abbreviation of the Tupi expression para rehe onáva, which translates to “like the sea.”

The Congo River

Previously known as the Zaire River, the Congo stretches in a curve across the continent of Africa and has the distinction of being the only river to cross the equator twice. It’s also the deepest river on earth, with depths of over 700 feet in some places.

The Amur River

Extending along the border between northeastern China and Russia, the Amur River also known as the Heilong Jiang is the tenth longest river in the world. While the word amur is thought to originate from a term for “water,” the Chinese heilong jiang translates to “black dragon river.”

FAQs: