The longest rivers of the globe. What is the longest river in the world
Life on Earth is impossible without fresh water, the main supplier of which is the water arteries. The largest rivers were originally the cradle of human civilization.
It is difficult to overestimate their value, not without reason they are called rivers of life. This includes drinking water, and solving the food problem, farming, and receiving electric energy, without which modern life on the planet is impossible, and, finally, transport links.
Let's look at the top five leaders - the world's greatest blue arteries.
The honorary list is headed by the Amazon - the heart of South America.
Until recently, this great river was considered only the second on the planet in its length after the Nile. But, taking the source of Ukayali as the true origin, scientists have now officially recognized the Amazon as the longest waterway in the world, the length of which is over 7,000 km.
This river holds the largest volume of water in the world. Originating in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes, the water stream reaches the Brazilian delta and is lost in the Atlantic Ocean. It absorbs the power of 40% of the waters of South America.
The largest river on the planet is so spilled during the rainy season that under its waters there are forests with an area of \u200b\u200bthe territory of England, and during a drought tons of fish are isolated in the formed lagoons. This creates a paradise for predators.
There are a lot of caimans - reptiles of the crocodile family. There are several million individuals thanks to the state program for the protection of caimans, and only 30-40 years ago this species of crocodiles was on the verge of extinction.
About 3,000 species of fish inhabit the bowels of the blue artery, of which only 2/3 are well studied. There is also the legendary Amazonian india - a species of river dolphin. The length of this exotic animal reaches 3 meters and its weight is 90 kg. The brain of the Amazonian inini is 40% larger than the human. Animals are incredibly smart and naturally playful. There are such dolphins of different shades - from light gray to pink. And although they are naturally blind, nature gave them special organs - sonars, with the help of which the unmistakably find their food.
The Amazon crosses across the whole of South America: from the Peruvian upper reaches to the Brazilian delta. The river basin is entangled with thousands of tributaries flowing into the largest artery on earth. And although its glacial origins lie high in the Peruvian Andes, the history of the Amazon begins 1800 km downstream, where the Ukayali and Maranion rivers meet. Only after their confluence in the jungle of Peru, the river is called the Amazon.
About 4,000 km downstream, the dark clear waters of the Rio Negro River flow into the turbid Amazon stream. For 11 km, black and brown waters flow side-by-side before finally mixing together. With a width of more than 8 km and a depth of 100 m at this point, the Amazon turns into a trade route through which goods from the heart of the jungle (forest, soybeans) can reach the open sea.
To its 240-km delta, the waterway exits with such force that it repels the salty water of the Atlantic Ocean 100 km from the land. The power of her stream is incredible!
The waters of the Amazon dominate everything that surrounds its shores. And although it flows along one of the most remote areas of the planet, 7 million people live on its shores. Neither the inhabitants of the abandoned villages, nor the townspeople of the bustling megalopolises can control the power of the largest river, adapting to the rules of life that it dictates to them.
Depth up to several hundred meters and up to 40 km wide, the largest river is also the deepest in the world. Man has still not been able to curb this most magnificent and capricious river. From the source to the mouth, not a single bridge crosses it, not a single dam slows down its course.
In the rainy season, the volume of water flow increases sharply, the water level rises by 20 meters. And the area occupied by the river triples. It is these powerful fluctuations in water level that make it impossible to conquer the Amazon.
The strength of its waters and the inaccessible terrain through which it flows, for many centuries protected the Amazon from harmful human interference. Until recently, it was still believed that nothing threatened these virgin forests of the river basin. But the aggressive commercial activity of man, the development of land destroys the jungle and the protection that they gave the river, gradually disappears. But the trees of the Amazon produce about 20% of oxygen on Earth.
Today, the delicate ecological balance of the region is on the verge of no return. The river itself, its flora and fauna, and the people living here are more vulnerable than ever.
Only thanks to this river, which was considered sacred from ancient times, can people survive in the most difficult conditions of an arid climate and a deficit of fertile soils. After the spill, in the rainy season, the second longest water artery in the world leaves fertile sludge behind, allowing rice and other crops to be cultivated on its banks. The length of this fertile water stream is 6852 km, and the area of \u200b\u200bits basin exceeds 3.3 million square meters. km
A stream is emerging in the East African Plateau. It carries its waters from south to north of the African continent and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The river separates the Arabian desert from the Libyan. In different places, the width of the valley of life ranges from 1 km to 25 km.
In the valley of this greatest river, 95% of the country's population lives. The Blue Artery Delta is the most fertile area on Earth, with 3 crops per year harvested here.
This greatest and deepest stream of Eurasia is the third in the world ranking of the largest rivers of the planet.
The length of the blue artery is 6.3 thousand km, and the area of \u200b\u200bits basin is more than 1.8 million square meters. km The river originates in the Tibetan Highlands. Passing the Sino-Tibetan mountains, the Yangtze flows into the Sichuan basin. On this stretch of road, the river is especially beautiful, its path passes through deep gorges famous for difficult cross-country ability. Due to the fast flow, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world called Three Gorges was built on this stretch of the track.
Further, the river makes its way along the southern part of the Great Chinese Plain. Four of the five largest lakes in China replenish its waters. Dividing into branches, at the mouth the water stream forms a delta with an area of \u200b\u200babout 80 thousand square meters. km The Yangtze flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Many bridges were built across the Yangtze, but Sutunsky, which occupies the first longest place in the world among cable-stayed structures, should be especially noted. Its length is 8 km.
In the delta of the blue artery, there are alligators and paddlefish, the largest freshwater fish on the planet. Moreover, this is the only place on earth where alligators are found outside the United States of America. There are many industrial fish such as carp, grass carp, silver carp.
The river has a yellowish color due to the numerous deposits of loess soils, so the Chinese called it the "Yellow River". The sea into which the river flows is also called Yellow.
The Yellow River is the fourth in the world list of the greatest rivers, its length is 5464 km, and the area of \u200b\u200bthe water basin is 700 thousand square meters. km
The water artery originates in the mountains of Tibet. Further, her path passes through the swampy plain of Sin-Su-Hai, where the river replenishes its waters and merges with the lakes Tsarin-nor and Norin-nor, which are separated by a channel. Passing through the mountain ranges of Kunlun and Nanshan, the river, forming a large bend, goes to the expanses of the Great Chinese Plain and then flows into the Yellow Sea.
Like the Nile, after the flooding, the Yangtze leaves a lot of fertile silt on its banks, which helps the people of China in agriculture. However, the Yellow River often leaves its banks and changes its course, and even numerous dams cannot calm its stormy and unpredictable nature.
Once the river was rich in different species of flora and fauna. But now there are practically no living creatures in it, since toxic wastes of oil refineries and other harmful industries merge into its waters. And although local authorities annually allocate money for its cleaning, this does not bring tangible results. About 30% of the Yellow River waters are not even suitable for industrial use.
The largest Russian river is the fifth in the world among the longest water streams in the world. She closes our top five largest waterways of the planet.
The Ob is 5410 km long. The area of \u200b\u200bthe river basin is almost 3 million square meters. km At the junction of Katun and Biya, in Altai, the largest water stream is emerging. The river flows into the Kara Sea, formerly forming the Gulf of Ob (800-km bay).
The river gives life-giving moisture to 30 million people, because on its banks lives the population of three countries of the world: Russia, China and Kazakhstan.
The largest water flow is of great importance for the industrial and economic development of adjacent territories. Oil and gas are produced here, large-scale development and extraction of peat deposits is carried out. In addition, the Ob is a navigable river. On the river, both freight and passenger traffic are developed.
At the same time, the basin of the waterway is rich in numerous breeds of valuable industrial fish species. A third of the world's fish production comes from Ob catches. The wealth of the Ob is sterlet, whitefish, omul, and muksun. There are a lot of pike, pike perch, ide and burbot in it.
To choose the longest rivers of the world is a non-trivial task. The beginning of the river is considered to be the tributary most remote from the mouth. However, its name does not always coincide with the name of the river, which introduces difficulties in measuring length. The error in the calculations may be due to seasonal changes.
There are also difficulties with the mouth - some rivers simply do not have it (for example, Kubango). Or the mouth is a funnel-shaped estuary expanding toward the ocean.
In our list we will name the ten longest river systems in the world, taking into account the length of their tributaries.
10. Congo - the length of 4700 km
This is the deepest river in the world (the measured depth is more than 220 meters) and the second after the Amazon in the size of the catchment basin (3680000 sq. Km).
The river originates deep in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is fed by the Lualaba River, which itself feeds on the Louvois and Luapula rivers. And those, in turn, are associated with Lake Mveru and Lake Bangvelo. The Chambesi River also flows into Luapula.
The Congo River makes up most of the border between the DRC and its eastern neighbor, the Republic of Congo.
The Congo River got its name from the Kingdom of the Congo, which was located on the left bank of the estuary. And the name Zaire, by which the river was known in the 16-17th centuries, comes from the Portuguese adaptation of the word nzere ("river") from the Kikongo language.
9. Amur - 5052 km
This majestic Far Eastern river originates in Western Manchuria where two large rivers merge - Shilka and Argun. The rivers Kerulen and Onon are also considered as the source of the Amur River.
Cupid flows east, along the Russian-Chinese border, and slowly turns into a large arc, receiving several tributaries.
The Chinese call Amur "the river of the Black Dragon." According to legend, the Black Dragon defeated the insidious White Dragon, who was the owner of the river and in every way interfered with the locals. Cupid enters.
8. Lena-Vitim - 5100 km
The easternmost of the three great rivers of Siberia (including the Ob and Yenisei), which flow into the Arctic Ocean.
Lena, together with its right tributary Vitim, is the eighth of the largest rivers on Earth. And the only one in the world whose channel is entirely located in permafrost areas.
The source of Lena is a small swamp, which is located ten kilometers west of Lake Baikal.
Spring-summer floods lead to the fact that the river level rises by 10-15 meters. Because of this, its shores are sparsely populated. All surrounding buildings will be demolished during the spill.
7. Yenisei - 5,238 km
Starting from the city of Kyzyl, the Yenisei River follows the northern course to the Kara Sea, where it forms the Yenisei Gulf. It serves as a natural border between Western and Eastern Siberia.
The largest tributaries of the Yenisei are: the Angara River, the Selengai River, the right tributary of the Selenga is Ider.
6. Ob-Irtysh - 5410 km
When meeting with each other, two huge Siberian rivers create the longest watercourse in Russia.
The Ob is shorter in length than the Irtysh. But at the same time, it is more full-flowing and in the Ob-Irtysh bunch plays the role of the main river. It is formed by the confluence of two Altai rivers - Katun and Biya.
The beginning of the Irtysh River is located in the mountains on the Mongolian-Chinese border. There she is known by the name Black Irtysh (or, in Chinese, Ertsisyhe). And the first 450 km of its path, the river flows through China. A much longer way - 1735 km she will have to go through the lands of Kazakhstan. And then she crosses the border with Russia in the Omsk region. And in the Khanty-Mansiysk region it meets the Ob River.
Thus, the Irtysh, although not the longest river in the world, bears the title of the longest tributary river.
5. Yellow River - 5464 km
Translated from Chinese, this river is called "Yellow" because of the color of the silt. It is the third of the longest rivers in Asia.
The Yellow River is known as the “cradle of China's civilization” because of the decisive role it played in the development of Chinese culture. As in the case of the Yangtze, the presence of settlements near the Yellow River dates back to the Paleolithic era, and fertile basins contributed to the growth of agricultural communities.
Before modern dams were built, the Yellow River was extremely prone to flooding. Because of this, she was given nicknames such as "The Sorrow of China" and "The Scourge of the Sons of Han." The worst flood in the modern history of mankind occurred in China in the spring of 1887 and, according to various sources, claimed from 1.5 to 7 million lives.
4. Yangtze - from 5800 to 6300 km according to various sources
The Yangtze River bears the title of the longest river in Asia. She has played a major role in the history, culture and economy of China and continues to do so to this day. Its existence was a key factor for the emergence of human settlements, the growth of agriculture and the development of civilization in East Asia.
Today, up to 20% of China's gross domestic product (GDP) is produced in the prosperous Yangtze River Delta, and the Three Gorges Dam, located on the Yangtze River, is the first largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Due to the impact of human infrastructure, some sections of the river are currently protected reserves.
3. Mississippi- Missouri- Jefferson - from 6,275 to 6,420 km
This river, as its name implies, is completely connected with the United States of America. Although each river individually would not be in the top five, they are grouped into one because the Missouri River meets the Mississippi near the city of St. Louis, and the Missouri connects with the Jefferson River in Montana.
2. Nile - 6852 km
Most people answering the question: “What is the name of the longest river on Earth?” they will call the river Nile. Although this African blue vein flows predominantly through Egypt, it also passes through nine other African countries: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most of them relate to.
The largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria, is considered the main source of the Nile.
About 300 million people are dependent on this river due to the need for water supply and irrigation of crops. There is even an Aswan waterworks that uses the energy of the Nile. Its construction was completed in 1970, and since then this system of structures has been used to provide electricity to the people of Egypt. It currently provides about 20 percent of the country's electricity. The Aswan Dam also controls the summer spill of the Nile, threatening massive floods.
1. Amazon - the longest river in the world 6992 km
It is the largest river in the world for catchment (6,915,000 sq. Km). For comparison: the drainage basin of the Nile - 3349000 square meters. km
However, disputes about which the longest river in the world - the Amazon or the Nile - do not stop. It's all about determining the origin of the Amazon. Scientists and researchers have tried to establish the source of the river since the 1600s. Over the years, five rivers in southwestern Peru have been honored to be called the source of the Amazon. In the end, the headwaters of the Apurimak River began to be considered its source.
According to the results of a study conducted in 2014, it appears that the Amazon originates from the Cordillera Rumi Cruz mountain, located upstream of the Peruvian river Mantaro. This river then converges with the Apurimak River, and downstream, other tributaries that form the Ukayali River join them. And finally, as a result of the confluence of Ukayali and the Maranion River, the Amazon forms.
If you take into account the latest data, then from 75 to 92 kilometers is added to the length of the Amazon. So the question about what is the longest river on Earth can be confidently answered is the Amazon.
Table of the longest rivers in the world
The full list contains 171 rivers with a length of more than 1000 km.
| # | River | Length (km) | Water catchment basin (km²) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6992 | 6915000 | Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana | |
| 2. | 6852 | 3349000 | Burundi, Egypt, Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia | |
| 3. | Mississippi - Missouri - Jefferson | 6275 (according to other sources, 6420) | 2980000 | USA (98.5%), Canada (1.5%) |
| 4. | 5800 (according to other sources 6300) | 1800000 | PRC | |
| 5. | 5464 | 745000 | PRC | |
| 6. | Ob - Irtysh | 5410 | 2990000 | Russia, Kazakhstan, China |
| 7. | Yenisei - Angara - Selenga - Ider | 5238 | 2580000 | Russia, Mongolia |
| 8. | Lena - Vitim | 5100 | 2490000 | Russia |
| 9. | Cupid - Argun - Muddy duct - Kerulen | 5052 | 1855000 | Russia, China, Mongolia |
| 10. | Congo - Lualaba - Louvois - Luapula - Chambesi | 4700 | 3680000 | DRC, CAR, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda |
| 11. | Mekong | 4350 | 810000 | Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, China |
| 12. | Mackenzie - Slave - Peace - Finlay | 4241 | 1790000 | Canada |
| 13. | Niger | 4200 | 2090000 | Nigeria (26.6%), Mali (25.6%), Niger (23.6%), Algeria (7.6%), Guinea (4.5%), Cameroon (4.2%), Burkina Faso (3.9%), Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Chad |
| 14. | La Plata - Parana - Rio Grande | 3998 | 3100000 | Brazil (46.7%), Argentina (27.7%), Paraguay (13.5%), Bolivia (8.3%), Uruguay (3.8%) |
| 15. | Volga - Kama | 3731 | 1380000 | Russia (99.8%), Kazakhstan (0.2%) |
| 16. | Shatt al-Arab - Euphrates - Murat | 3596 | 884000 | Iraq (40.5%), Turkey (24.8%), Iran (19.7%), Syria (14.7%) |
| 17. | Purus | 3379 | 63166 | Brazil, Peru |
| 18. | Murray - Darling | 3370 | 1061000 | Australia |
| 19. | Madeira - Mamor - Rio Grande - Rio Kane - Rocha | 3239 | 850000 | Brazil, Bolivia, Peru |
| 20. | Yukon | 3184 | 850000 | USA (59.8%), Canada (40.2%) |
| 21. | Indus | 3180 | 960000 | Pakistan (93%), India, China, disputed territories (Kashmir), Afghanistan |
| 22. | San francisco | 3180 | 610000 | Brazil |
| 23. | Syrdarya - Naryn | 3078 | 219000 | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan |
| 24. | Salouine | 3060 | 324000 | China (52.4%), Myanmar (43.9%), Thailand (3.7%) |
| 25. | St. Lawrence River - Niagara - Detroit - St. Clair - St. Marys - St. Louis | 3058 | 1030000 | Canada (52.1%), USA (47.9%) |
| 26. | Rio grande | 3057 | 570000 | USA (52.1%), Mexico (47.9%) |
| 27. | Lower Tunguska | 2989 | 473000 | Russia |
| 28. | Brahmaputra | 2948 | 1730000 | India (58.0%), China (19.7%), Nepal (9.0%), Bangladesh (6.6%), disputed territories India / China (4.2%), Bhutan (2.4%) ) |
| 29. | Danube - Breg | 2850 | 817000 | Romania (28.9%), Hungary (11.7%), Austria (10.3%), Serbia (10.3%), Germany (7.5%), Slovakia (5.8%), Bulgaria ( 5.2%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (4.8%), Croatia (4.5%), Ukraine (3.8%), Moldova (1.7%). |
| 30. | Tocantins | 2699 | 1400000 | Brazil |
| 31. | Zambezi | 2693 | 1330000 | Zambia (41.6%), Angola (18.4%), Zimbabwe (15.6%), Mozambique (11.8%), Malawi (8.0%), Tanzania (2.0%), Namibia, Botswana |
| 32. | Vilyuy | 2650 | 454000 | Russia |
| 33. | Araguaya | 2627 | 358125 | Brazil |
| 34. | Amu Darya - Pyanj - Pamir | 2620 | 534739 | Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan |
| 35. | Japura | 2615 | 242259 | Brazil, Colombia |
| 36. | Nelson - Saskatchewan | 2570 | 1093000 | Canada, USA |
| 37. | Paraguay | 2549 | 900000 | Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina |
| 38. | Kolyma | 2513 | 644000 | Russia |
| 39. | Ganges | 2510 | 907000 | India, Bangladesh, Nepal |
| 40. | Pilcomayo | 2500 | 270000 | Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia |
| 41. | Ishim | 2450 | 177000 | Kazakhstan, Russia |
| 42. | Jourois | 2410 | 200000 | Peru, Brazil |
| 43. | Ural | 2428 | 237000 | Russia, Kazakhstan |
| 44. | Arkansas | 2348 | 505000 | USA |
| 45. | Ubangi - Uele | 2300 | 772800 | DRC, CAR |
| 46. | Little deer | 2292 | 219000 | Russia |
| 47. | Dnieper | 2287 | 516300 | Russia, Belarus, Ukraine |
| 48. | Aldan | 2273 | 729000 | Russia |
| 49. | Rio Negro | 2250 | 720114 | Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia |
| 50. | Colombia | 2250 | 415211 | USA, Canada |
| 51. | Colorado | 2333 | 390000 | USA, Mexico |
| 52. | Pearl River - Xijiang | 2200 | 437000 | China (98.5%), Vietnam (1.5%) |
| 53. | South Red River | 2188 | 78592 | USA |
| 54. | Irrawaddy | 2170 | 411000 | Myanmar |
| 55. | Kassai | 2153 | 880200 | Angola, DRC |
| 56. | Ohio - Allegheny | 2102 | 490603 | USA |
| 57. | Orinoco | 2101 | 880000 | Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana |
| 58. | Tarim | 2100 | 557000 | PRC |
| 59. | Shingu | 2100 | 513000 | Brazil |
| 60. | Orange | 2092 | 973000 | South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho |
| 69. | Kama | 2039 | 522000 | Russia |
| 61. | Salado (tributary of Parana) | 2010 | 160000 | Argentina |
| 123. | Upper mississippi | 2000 | 490000 | USA |
| 62. | Vitim | 1978 | 225000 | Russia |
| 63. | Tiger | 1950 | 375000 | Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran |
| 64. | Sungari | 1927 | 524000 | PRC |
| 65. | Tapajos | 1900 | 487000 | Brazil |
| 66. | Don | 1870 | 425600 | Russia |
| 67. | Stony Tunguska | 1865 | 240000 | Russia |
| 68. | Pechora | 1809 | 322000 | Russia |
| 70. | Limpopo | 1800 | 413000 | Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana |
| 71. | Chulym | 1799 | 134000 | Russia |
| 72. | Guapor | 1749 | 266500 | Brazil, Bolivia |
| 97. | Marañon | 1737 | 358000 | Peru |
| 73. | Indigirka | 1726 | 360400 | Russia |
| 74. | Snake | 1670 | 279719 | USA |
| 75. | Senegal | 1641 | 419659 | Senegal, Mali, Mauritania |
| 76. | Uruguay | 1610 | 370000 | Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil |
| 77. | Blue nile | 1600 | 325000 | Ethiopia, Sudan |
| 78. | Churchill | 1600 | 282000 | Canada |
| 79. | Khatanga - Kotui | 1600 | 364000 | Russia |
| 80. | Okavango | 1600 | 800000 | Namibia, Angola, Botswana |
| 81. | Volta | 1600 | 388000 | Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin |
| 81. | Beni | 1599 | 133010 | Bolivia |
| 82. | Platt | 1594 | 241000 | USA |
| 83. | Tobol | 1591 | 426000 | Kazakhstan, Russia |
| 84. | Jubba - Web Shebeli | 1580 | 497504 | Ethiopia, Somalia |
| 85. | Putumayo | 1575 | 148000 | Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador |
| 86. | Magdalena | 1550 | 260000 | Colombia |
| 87. | Hanshui | 1532 | 175000 | PRC |
| 88. | Crowbar | 1500 | 95830 | DRC |
| 89. | Oka | 1500 | 245000 | Russia |
| 90. | Pecos | 1490 | 115000 | USA |
| 91. | Upper Yenisei | 1480 | 150000 | Russia, Mongolia |
| 92. | Godavari | 1465 | 313000 | India |
| 93. | Colorado (Texas) | 1438 | 103340 | USA |
| 94. | Rio grande | 1438 | 102600 | Bolivia |
| 95. | White | 1420 | 142000 | Russia |
| 96. | Coopers Creek - Barku | 1420 | 297550 | Australia |
| 98. | Taz | 1401 | 150000 | Russia |
| 100. | Benue | 1400 | 441000 | Cameroon, Nigeria |
| 101. | Or | 1400 | 140000 | China, Kazakhstan |
| 103. | Satledge | 1372 | 395000 | China, India, Pakistan |
| 104. | Yamuna | 1370 | 351000 | India |
| 105. | Vyatka | 1370 | 129000 | Russia |
| 106. | Fraser | 1368 | 233100 | Canada |
| 107. | Kura | 1364 | 188000 | Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Iran |
| 108. | Rio grande | 1360 | 170000 | Brazil |
| 109. | Dniester | 1352 | 72100 | Ukraine, Moldova |
| 110. | Cauca | 1350 | 80000 | Colombia |
| 111. | Liaohe | 1345 | 228960 | PRC |
| 112. | Yalongjiang | 1323 | 30000 | PRC |
| 113. | Iguazu | 1320 | 62000 | Brazil, Argentina |
| 114. | Olekma | 1320 | 210000 | Russia |
| 115. | The rhine | 1233 | 198735 | Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Liechtenstein |
| 116. | Northern Dvina - Sukhona | 1302 | 357052 | Russia |
| 117. | Krishna | 1300 | 258950 | India |
| 118. | Iriri | 1300 | 124300 | Brazil |
| 119. | Narmada | 1289 | 98796 | India |
| 120. | Ottawa | 1271 | 146300 | Canada |
| 121. | Zeya | 1242 | 233000 | Russia |
| 122. | Juruena | 1240 | 190940 | Brazil |
| 124. | Athabasca | 1231 | 95300 | Canada |
| 125. | Elba - Vltava | 1231 | 148268 | Germany, Czech Republic |
| 126. | Kaneydian River | 1223 | 124000 | USA |
| 127. | North Saskatchewan | 1220 | 122800 | Canada |
| 128. | Vaal | 1210 | 196438 | South Africa |
| 129. | Wider | 1200 | 149500 | Mozambique, Malawi |
| 130. | Nenjiang | 1190 | 244000 | PRC |
| 131. | Green river | 1175 | 124578 | USA |
| 132. | Milk River | 1173 | 61642 | USA, Canada |
| 133. | Demyanka | 1160 | 34800 | Russia |
| 134. | Chindwin | 1158 | 114000 | Myanmar |
| 135. | Sankuru | 1150 | DRC | |
| 27. | Omolon | 1150 | 119000 | Russia |
| 136. | James | 1143 | USA | |
| 137. | Capuas | 1143 | Indonesia | |
| 138. | Gum | 1130 | 88900 | Russia Ukraine |
| 139. | Helmand | 1130 | Afghanistan, Iran | |
| 140. | Madre de dios | 1130 | Peru, Bolivia | |
| 141. | Are you | 1130 | Brazil | |
| 142. | Vychegda | 1130 | 121000 | Russia |
| 143. | Sepik | 1126 | 77700 | |
| 144. | Simarron | 1123 | USA | |
| 145. | Anadyr | 1120 | Russia | |
| 146. | Jialinjiang | 1119 | PRC | |
| 147. | Lyard | 1115 | Canada | |
| 148. | White river | 1102 | USA | |
| 149. | Huallaga | 1100 | Peru | |
| 150. | Kwango | 1100 | 263500 | Angola, DRC |
| 27. | Conda | 1097 | 72800 | Russia |
| 151. | Gambia | 1094 | Gambia Senegal Guinea | |
| 152. | Om | 1091 | 52600 | Russia |
| 153. | Chinab | 1086 | India, Pakistan | |
| 154. | Vasyugan | 1082 | 62000 | Russia |
| 155. | Yellowstone | 1080 | USA | |
| 155. | Arax | 1072 | 102000 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey |
| 156. | Choo | 1067 | 62500 | Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan |
| 157. | Seversky Donets | 1053 | 98900 | Ukraine Russia |
| 158. | Bermejo | 1050 | Argentina, Bolivia | |
| 159. | Fly | 1050 | Papua New Guinea, Indonesia | |
| 160. | Guaviar | 1050 | Colombia | |
| 161. | Cuscoquim | 1050 | USA | |
| 162. | Tennessee | 1049 | USA | |
| 163. | Tour | 1030 | Tyumen region, Sverdlovsk region, Russia | |
| 164. | Western Dvina | 1020 | 87900 | Latvia, Belarus, Russia |
| 165. | Hila | 1015 | USA | |
| 166. | Wisla | 1014 | Poland, Ukraine, Belarus | |
| 167. | Loire | 1012 | France | |
| 168. | Essekibo | 1010 | Guyana | |
| 169. | Hopper | 1010 | Russia | |
| 170. | Tacho | 1006 | Spain, Portugal | |
| 171. | Rio Colorado (Argentina) | 1000 | Argentina |
If a country is not surrounded by seas and oceans, then there are almost certainly lakes or rivers in it. The largest rivers of the world are known to people from antiquity - the greatest cities and settlements were created next to them.
Until now, many capitals of the world and the most developed industrial centers are located on the banks of huge rivers, the names of which are known to everyone.
10th place - Irtysh
This river flows through Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. The length is 4248 kilometers. It is the longest tributary river in the world. The approximate area of \u200b\u200bthe Irtysh basin is 1,600,000 square kilometers.
This is a magnificent river, which is truly enormous in size and connects as many as four states. There is one interesting feature - the Irtysh is longer than the Ob River, of which it is a tributary. The length of the latter is 3650 kilometers.
9th place - Parana
Parana flows in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The basin area of \u200b\u200bthis navigable and sometimes very deep river is 2 and a half million square kilometers.
On the way of this river there are many waterfalls and scenic spots. 30 dams have already been built on the river. Itaipu hydroelectric power station is the second largest in the world. The river feeds and watered a lot of people in South America, gives them electricity.
8th place - Lena
The source of Lena is the Baikal Range. The river flows into the Laptev Sea. It practically crosses Russia across, having a length of 4400 kilometers. The river basin is approximately 2 and a half million square kilometers.
It is the largest northern river in the world, whose channel belongs entirely to the permafrost region. Lena is the longest river in Russia.
7th place - Mekong
"The River of Nine Dragons" is an alternative name for the Mekong. The mouth of the river is located on the Indochina Peninsula - in the South China Sea. The source is in the mountains of Tibet. The river spans as many as six states - China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The length of the river is only a hundred kilometers longer than that of the Lena - 4,500 kilometers. The basin area is relatively small - only 800,000 square kilometers. Large settlements formed near the Mekong 4000 years ago.
6th place - Itapoku
The river flows in Brazil, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its length is 4680 kilometers. The basin area is approaching 3 million square kilometers, which is a fairly large indicator.
Of the features, rather dirty water and a surprisingly low level of popularity on demand on the Internet should be highlighted. For 6 places on the list, this is a strange fact.
5th place - Congo
This is Africa’s full-flowing river and the second longest. Over the past 5-7 years, its length has officially reached 4700 kilometers, and the basin area is 4 million square kilometers.
The mouth of the Congo is the Atlantic Ocean. The river covers countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Zambia, Angola. On the banks of this navigable river a huge number of cities. It is rich in fish and beautiful waterfalls.
4th place - Yellow River
This is a Chinese river, which is also called "yellow." This is not an accidental name, since the water of the river really really gives out yellowness. The sea into which the Yellow Sea flows is also predominantly yellow, which is why it was called that.
The river is 5464 kilometers long, and the basin area does not even reach a million square kilometers. This means that the river is very narrow. Its depth rarely exceeds 20 meters.
3rd place - Yangtze
It is the longest and deepest river in the whole continent of Eurasia. The basin area for such a huge length of 6300 kilometers is very small - less than 2 million square kilometers.
Translated from Chinese, the Yangtze means "long river." It is difficult to overestimate its significance - a huge number of people lived and live on its shores. There are many endangered species of animals in the river, including river dolphins.
2nd place - Nile
This is one of the most famous rivers in the world. The length of the great Nile is 6852 kilometers. Scientists have been arguing for a long time about which river is the longest - the Nile or the Amazon, but disputes have been resolved only relatively recently.
The Nile basin is gigantic 3,400,000 square kilometers. The river flows into the Mediterranean Sea, and its source takes far in the depths of the mainland, in Lake Victoria - the second largest freshwater lake in the world.
1st place - Amazon
15-20 years ago, everyone considered this river the deepest in the world, but now it has also been given the title of the longest. It is longer than the Nile by only 140 kilometers, not reaching just 8 kilometers to the mark of 7000.
It is the greatest of all the rivers of the world, with gigantic dimensions and an area of \u200b\u200b7 million square kilometers. In 2011, the Amazon was recognized as a natural wonder of the world along with Everest, Grand Canyon, Aurora, Parikutin Volcano, Victoria Falls, Rio de Janeiro Harbor and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
The largest number of rivers in Canada is about 12 million. And in seventeen countries there are no rivers at all - these are desert places with dried up channels. These include, for example, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Kuwait and others. Our world is full of miracles, and rivers are one of them. Some of them embody the wealth of countries and entire continents.
We are waiting and do not forget to click and
The existence of life on our planet is impossible to imagine without rivers. They are the largest sources of fresh water for territories that have an area of \u200b\u200btens of thousands of square kilometers. It was the large rivers that became the cradles of human civilization. Today, a million people live along them. A great example is the Yangtze or the Nile.
Of course, between separate groups of scientists and even entire countries, there is a dispute about the longest and largest river in the world. Entire expeditions set off in search of new sources to add several tens of kilometers to the length of the river.
The largest, largest and longest rivers in the world. List.
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Title |
Length (km) |
Pool area (thousand km²) |
The average flow rate of water at the mouth (thousand m³ / s) |
The highest flow rate at the mouth (thousand m³ / s) |
Solid stock (mln t / year) |
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Amazon |
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Mississippi - Missouri |
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Ob (with Irtysh) |
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Parana (from the origins of Paranaiba) |
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Cupid (from the origins of Argun) |
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Congo (with Lualaba) |
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Mackenzie (from the source of the Peace River) |
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Yenisei (from the origins of the Small Yenisei) |
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Ganges (with Brahmaputra) |
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1. Amazon (6992 m.) - The largest, longest and largest river in the world and South America.
Description of the Amazon River - the longest river in the world and South America.
The Amazon is an absolute record holder both in length and in full-flow and basin area. For many years it was believed that the Nile is the longest river in the world, but the latest research carried out by comparing photos from space and computer data processing has refuted this long-known fact. The Amazon was 140 km longer than the Nile!
In 2011, according to the results of the global competition, Amazon is recognized as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. And this is no coincidence. The Amazon is not only the longest, largest and largest river in the world and in South America, but also a unique place on our planet, where more than a million species of various plants and animals live. According to the researchers, there are 1,500 species of flowers, 750 species of trees, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and countless invertebrates per 10 km² of rainforest. Many of their species are not even described or identified. In the Amazon and its tributaries, up to 2000 species of fish live, one of which is the well-known gluttonous predatory piranha.
In the basin of the longest river in the world, the largest tropical rainforest on the planet is located. The climate here is hot and humid, all year round the air temperature fluctuates only within 25-28 ° C and it rains very often. There is practically no wind in the forest - lush vegetation does not allow air gusts. Even during the storm, only the tops of the trees sway here, and below there reigns twilight and peace.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the world's longest underground river was discovered under the longest terrestrial river in the world, flowing parallel to the Amazon at a depth of 4000 m. It originates in the Andes and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Its so far unofficial name Hamza is in honor of the scientist who discovered it. The flow rate of the Khamza River does not exceed several meters per year, and the width is about 400 meters.
2. Nile (6852) - The second of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in Africa.
Description of the Nile River - the second of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in Africa.
The Nile is a genuine “river of life,” as it is the only river in North Africa that crosses the Sahara without drying up. Permanent watercourse is carried out due to precipitation falling in the upper river.
Almost all the settlements of Egypt are located along the Nile, and almost all economic activity is concentrated. The waters of the second longest river in the world are used for irrigation of fields and production of electricity (the energy resources of the Nile are estimated at 50 GW), fisheries and fish farming, water supply and shipping.
The Nile originates on the East African Plateau (Kagera River), flows through Lake Victoria (some sources indicate this lake as the source of the Nile River). The exit from the plateau is characterized by an abundance of rapids and waterfalls. After the confluence of the El-Ghazal River, the river is called the White Nile and flows through the semi-deserts and deserts to Khartoum, takes the main tributary - the Blue Nile, and under the name the Nile proper flows to the Mediterranean Sea, when it flows into it forms an extensive delta.
Floods in different parts of the river occur in different seasons: in the equator - in the summer and winter seasons, in the northern part of the river - in the summer and autumn periods. To regulate the flow of one of the longest rivers in the world, dams were built: Gebel-Aulia on the White Nile, Aswan and High Aswan. The construction of dams protected the population from annual floods. This, on the one hand, deprived agriculture of the most important natural fertilizer - silt, but, on the other hand, increased the area of \u200b\u200birrigated land and made it possible to remove three crops a year from the fields.
3. The Yangtze (5,800 km) is the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest, largest and largest river in Eurasia. .png)
Description of the Yangtze River - the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river of Eurasia.
The Yangtze River originates in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of about 5600 km and flows through the territory of China from west to east, making a large revolution to the south after Qinghai Province. The lower reaches of the Yangtze passes through the southern part of the Great Chinese Plain, where the river is often divided into branches, while the width of the main channel reaches 2 km or more. At the confluence of the East China Sea, the Yangtze forms a large-scale delta with an area of \u200b\u200babout 80 thousand km².
Four of China's five largest freshwater lakes have runoff to the Yangtze. The third of the longest rivers in the world has about 700 tributaries, the largest of which are Yalongjiang, Mingjiang, Jialingjiang, Tuo, Hanshui (Jiuhe).
The Yangtze River has great cultural and economic significance for the country. This is the main waterway of China. The total length of the waterways of the Yangtze basin exceeds 17 thousand km. The river is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The volume of freight traffic in 2005 reached 795 million tons.
The Yangtze River basin, which covers one fifth of China, is home to one third of the country's population and produces about 20% of GDP. On the longest river of Eurasia, the world's largest hydroelectric power station, the Three Gorges hydroelectric power station, was built.
The Yangtze River is home to many animals, including several endangered species, such as the Chinese river dolphin, Chinese alligators and Korean sturgeons. In the basin of the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world, there are several nature reserves and part of the Three Parallel Rivers National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
4. Mississippi (6,275 km) is the fourth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest, largest and largest river in North America. Mississippi .jpg)
Description of the Mississippi River - the fourth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in North America.
Mississippi is one of the greatest rivers in the world. Together with Missouri, it is the fourth longest river in the world and the largest, largest and longest river in North America. Mississippi flows through the territory of ten US states from north to south. The source of the river is the Nicolette Creek (according to other sources, Lake Itasca), the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The river basin (the third largest after the Amazon and Congo basins) extends from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians and from the Great Lakes region. to the Gulf of Mexico, covering an area of \u200b\u200b3268 thousand km2, which is 40% of the US area, not including Alaska.
The length of the Mississippi River is 3950 km (according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia) or 3774 km (Wikipedia). A drop of water takes 90 days to get from the source to the mouth of the river.
Speaking of the Mississippi as the fourth of the longest rivers in the world, it should be borne in mind that we are talking about the length of the Jefferson-Missouri-Mississippi river system. In total, the length of the three rivers is 6,275 kilometers. When it comes to the longest river in North America, various sources call it the Mississippi River (3,774 km) or its tributary Missouri (3,767 km). In our classification of rivers by length, we proceeded from determining the length of the river from the source of its longest tributary to the mouth. With this approach, the Mississippi is definitely the longest river in North America.
Mississippi is a convenient waterway from the Gulf of Mexico to the central parts of the mainland, an important US transportation artery connecting the developed industrial and agricultural areas of the country. Mississippi rivers are of great economic importance. The total length of the shipping lanes of the basin is over 25 thousand square meters. km A number of large power plants have been built on the tributaries of the Mississippi.
River food mixed, snow and rain. The right tributaries bring mostly meltwater, formed by melting snow in the Rocky Mountains, the left tributaries feed the Mississippi with rain and rainwater. The Mississippi regime is characterized by spring-summer floods and stormy rain floods.
The longest, largest and largest river in North America is divided into three sections, the boundaries of which are the places where the largest tributaries, Missouri and Ohio, flow into the Mississippi.
In the upper section, the river flows through shallow lakes, overcoming in many places rocky rifts and rapids, the most significant of which are in the cities. Minneapolis (St. Anthony Falls), Davenport and Kyokak. From the city of Minneapolis to the mouth of the Missouri River, the river is locked; more than 20 dams are located on this site.
In the middle section, the fourth longest river of the world flows mainly in one channel. The width of the river valley bounded by steep slopes is 15-20 km. The middle section of the Mississippi has an interesting feature: for 150-180 km, the muddy, muddy waters of the Missouri flow next to the relatively clear Mississippi water without mixing.
In the lower section, the Mississippi River flows through a vast valley, gradually expanding from 25 to 70 km. The riverbed is winding, with numerous branches and elders, forming in the lower reaches a labyrinth of channels, old lakes, vast floodplain bogs flooded during floods. At the end of the delta, the longest, largest and largest river in North America branches into 6 main relatively short branches 20-40 km long, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
5. The Yellow River (5464 km) - the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the second longest river in Eurasia. .jpg)
Description of the Yellow River - the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the second longest river in Asia.
The Yellow River - one of the greatest rivers in the world, is the second longest river in Asia and the fifth of the longest rivers in the world. The name of the river in Chinese means “Yellow River”. The abundance of sediment gives the yellow color to the waters of the river, of which there are so many in the river that the sea into which it flows is called Yellow. In terms of sediment volume, Yellow River ranks first in the world (1.3 billion tons / year).
The Yellow River originates in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of over 4,000 m, flows through lakes Orin-Nur and Jarin-Nur, spurs of the Kunlun and Nanshan mountain ranges. At the intersection of Ordos and the Loess Plateau, in its middle reaches it forms a large bend, then through the gorges of the Shanxi Mountains it reaches the Great Plain of China, along which it flows for about 700 km until it flows into the Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea, forming a delta in the confluence area. According to various sources, the length of the river is from 4,670 km to 5,464 km, and its basin area is from 745 thousand km² to 771 thousand km².
The way of feeding the Yellow River: rain, in the mountainous part of the basin also snow. The fifth of the longest, largest and largest rivers in the world has a monsoon regime during summer floods with a rise in water level of up to 5 m on the plains and up to 20 m in the mountains. In order to protect against floods, a system of dams with a total length of more than 5,000 km was built along the river. Breakthroughs of dams led to catastrophic floods, accompanied by large-scale destruction and the change of the river channel (the maximum change in the channel was about 800 km). Due to the incredible catastrophic floods, the Yellow River was nicknamed the “Woe of China”. It is known that over the past two thousand years, the Yellow River overflowed the coast more than a thousand times, broke through dams and at least 20 times significantly changed the path of its channel. In 1931, according to various estimates, from 1,000,000 to 4,000,000 inhabitants of the North China Plain died during the flood on the Yellow River.
But despite this, the Yellow River basin provides about 140 million people with drinking water and irrigation water. A number of hydroelectric power stations were built on the river. Through the Great Canal, the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world is connected to the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers.
The Yellow River flows in total through seven modern provinces and two autonomous regions, namely the following (from west to east): Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia Hui, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong. The Yellow River mouth is located in Kenli County (Shandong).
The river is usually divided into three parts - the upper, middle and lower reaches. The upper course of the river runs along the northeast of the Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau of northwestern China; the middle course includes the valley between Ordos and Shaanxi and the gorges downstream; the lower course of the river runs along the Great Plain of China.
6. Ob River (with Irtysh)
The Ob River is one of the largest rivers not only in Russia, but throughout the world. It flows from south to north along Western Siberia almost parallel to the greatest Russian river Yenisei. A mighty stream flows in the north into the Kara Sea. There is a huge bay at the confluence. It is called the Gulf of Ob, and its length exceeds 800 km. This is a peculiar mouth of the river, bearing the name estuary in scientific circles. It is characterized by the absence of river sediment. Sea currents impede their creation. In Russia, in addition to the Gulf of Ob, the Yenisei Gulf can also be called an estuary.
Like all large rivers of Siberia, flowing into the Laptev Sea, the marginal sea of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic Ocean. To some extent, Lena can be called a pioneer: after the glacier melted and the flora and fauna formed, it was this river that was one of the first to make its way to the sea, studying the boundless taiga expanses of Siberia.
The usual Russian-speaking name "Lena" has nothing to do with the female name - it is only a derivative of the Evenki word of the Tungus-Manchu language group "Yelu-Ene", which translates as "Big River". The Evenki hydronym was used by the pioneer of the river, the Russian explorer Pyanda (Penda), who in 1619-1623 explored the river, following downstream from the modern district of Kirensk to Yakutsk. Like all large rivers of Siberia, the Lena flows to the North, flowing into the Laptev Sea, the marginal sea of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic Ocean.
The question of what exactly is considered the source of Lena is still open "the latest versions point to a mountain brook at an altitude of 1650 m. Following further along the channel, the waters of Lena, depending on conditions, change their character, showing all types of temperament: choleric - the beginning of his journey, phlegmatic - in the middle course, sanguine in the lower and melancholic in the delta.
Three sections are distinguished by the nature of the river flow: from the source to the village of Kachug, from Kachug to Zhigansk, the middle course, and from Zhigansk to the mouth, the lower section.
Before the confluence of the Manzurka River near the village of Kachug, Lena descends along the Baikal Range and lies in the mountainous Baikal region, here her character can be compared with choleric. With small dimensions in this part (width 5-7 m), its speed does not fall below 9 km / h.
Lena then goes to Ust-Kut and lower until the Chaya and Vitim rivers flow into it, here her character becomes closer to phlegmatic. This is especially noticeable after the confluence of Olekma and a significant expansion of the channel from s. Vesti to Yakutsk, where it reaches 5 km. The slopes of the river in the middle reaches are most often covered with conifers with occasionally protruding meadows.
Then the river in its calm motion expands even more, reaching 7-9 km in the channel even before the confluence of Aldan. And with Aldan and later Vilyuy, Lena's width reaches 10 km (up to 20 on island sites), and the depth exceeds 16-20 m. In the Zhigansk region, Lena narrows and therefore its character goes to sanguine: the flow becomes lively and powerful, reaching its maximum strength.
11. Congo River .jpg)
Congo (Zaire, Lualaba) is a river in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (partially flows along its borders with the Republic of the Congo and Angola), the deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second largest river in the world after the Amazon. In the upper reaches (above the city of Kisangani) is called Lualaba. The only major river crossing the equator twice. The pool area is 4,014,500 km². Length - 4374 km. The slope of the river is 0.36 m / km.
It originates from the settlement of Mumen.
The length of the Congo from the source of Lualaba is 4374 km (from the source of Chambesi - over 4700 km). The pool area is 4,014,500 km². The source of Lualaba originates in the southeast of the DRC, on a plateau near the border with Zambia. According to other sources, the source of the Congo is the Chambeshi River, which is formed between the lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika at an altitude of 1590 meters above sea level. It flows into Lake Bangweulu, flows out of it under the name Luapula, flows into Lake Mveru, flowing out of it like the Luwua River and merges with Lualaba. The upper course of the Congo (Lualaba), located within the plateaus and plateaus, is characterized by the alternation of rapids and flattened pools with a calm course. The steepest drop (475 m at a distance of about 70 km) of Lualaba is different in the Nzilo gorge, with which it cuts through the southern spurs of the Mitumba mountains. Starting from the city of Bukam, the river slowly flows, heavily meandering, along the flat bottom of the Upemba graben. Below the city of Kongolo, Lualaba breaks through crystalline rocks through the Port d’Anfer Gorge (Hell's Gate), forming rapids and waterfalls; further downstream, one after another, several more groups of waterfalls and rapids. Between the cities of Kindu and Ubundu, the river flows quietly again in a wide valley. Under the equator itself, it descends from the marginal ledges of the plateau into the Congo Basin, forming Stanley Waterfalls.
After the Stanley Waterfalls near Kisangani, the river changes its name to Congo. In the middle course, enclosed within the Congo Basin, the river is calm with a slight drop (on average about 0.07 m / km). Its channel, mainly with low and flat, often swampy shores, is a chain of lake-shaped extensions (sometimes up to 15 km), divided by relatively narrow (up to 1.5–2 km) sites. In the central part of the Congo Basin, the floodplains of the river and its right tributaries, Ubangi and Sanga merge together, forming one of the largest periodically flooded areas in the world. As you approach the western edge of the basin, the appearance of the river changes: it is compressed here between high (100 m or more) and steep root banks, narrowing in places to less than 1 km; the depths increase (often up to 20-30 m), the flow speeds up. This narrowed section, the so-called Canal, passes into the lake-shaped extension of Stanley Pool (about 30 km long, up to 25 km wide), which ends the middle course of the Congo.
In the lower reaches of the Congo, it breaks to the ocean through the South Guinean plateau in a deep (up to 500 m) gorge. The width of the channel here decreases to 400-500 meters, in places to 220-250 meters. For 350 km between the cities of Kinshasa and Matadi, the river descends 270 m, forming about 70 rapids and waterfalls, united under the general name of Livingston Falls. The depths in this section are 230 m or more, which makes Congo the deepest river in the world. Matadi Congo reaches the coastal lowland, the channel widens to 1-2 km, the depths of the channel reach 25-30 m. Near the city of Boma, the Congo estuary begins, the width of which in the middle part reaches 19 km, then decreases to 3.5 km again increases to the mouth, where it is 9.8 km. The top and middle part of the estuary are occupied by an actively forming young delta. The continuation of the estuary is the underwater canyon of the Congo with a total length of at least 800 km.
12. Mackenzie River .jpg)
Mackenzie (English and French Mackenzie, Slave Deh Cho - “big river”) - the largest river in Canada and the whole American north with a length of 1738 km. Named after Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered it.
It is a navigable river, the length of the navigable routes of the entire Mackenzie river system is 2,200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Tactoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements: Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the Norman Wells oil center.
A. Mackenzie was discovered and first passed from June 29 to July 14, 1789. Originally called the River Disappointment (Eng. Disappointment, "Disappointment" or "Discontent").
Tributaries
R. Drank
R. Lyard
R. Big Bear
R. Arctic Red River
R. Karkadzhu
R. Ruth
R. Mountain
R. Har indian
The beginning of the Mackenzie River is considered to be the source from the Great Slave Lake, the large Canadian lakes Wollaston, Clare, Athabasca and the Big Bear Lake also belong to the river basin. The last lake is connected to the river through the tributary of the Big Bear. The average water flow at the mouth of the river is ≈10,700 m³ / s, which puts the river in this indicator in second place among the rivers of North America after the Mississippi. Mackenzie’s relatively low water content is explained by the blocking effect of the Rocky Mountains in the west, which reduce the influence of the Pacific Ocean in the lower part of its catchment.
Mackenzie, like more than half of the rivers of Canada, belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. The nutrition of the Arctic rivers is mostly snowfall. In the central and northern regions of the country, rivers and lakes are covered with ice for 5 to 9 months. Mackenzie freezes in September - October, opens in May, in the lower reaches - in early June; snow-fed food; spring-summer flood.
The river valley is formed by the strata of alluvial and water-glacial deposits, is very boggy, covered with spruce forest.
13. The Niger River
Niger (French Niger, English Niger [ˈnaɪdʒər], Yoruba Niger, Ọya) is the most important river in West Africa. It is 4,180 km long, with a basin area of \u200b\u200b2,117,700 km², the third in these parameters in Africa after the Nile and Congo.
The source of the river is on the slopes of the Leon-Liberian Upland in southeast Guinea. The height of the source is 745 m above sea level. The river flows through the territory of Mali, Niger, along the border with Benin, and then through the territory of Nigeria. It flows into the Gulf of Guinea of \u200b\u200bthe Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta in the confluence area. The largest tributary of the Niger is the Benue River.
The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown and among researchers there has long been a debate on this subject.
A popular opinion is that the name of the river comes from the Tuareg nehier-ren - "river, flowing water." According to one hypothesis, the name of the river, in turn, came from the words "Jereg N’gereg", which in Tamas (one of the languages \u200b\u200bof the Tuareg) means "great river" or "river of rivers." So called Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores.
There is also a hypothesis according to which the derivative of the name of the river is the Latin word niger, that is, “black”. Such a hypothesis assumes that historically the words “Niger” and “Negro” have the same root, since the latter also comes from the word “black”.
Aborigines living near the coast, in separate sections of the course, call the river differently: Joliba (in the Mandingo language - “big river”), Mayo, Eghirreu, Iso, Quorra (Quarra, Kovara), Baki n-ruu, etc. etc., but at the same time the absolute majority of these names in translation means "river".
The source is located on the slopes of the Leon-Liberian Upland in southeast Guinea. In the upper reaches, the river is called Joliba. The river flows to the north-east, crosses the border with Mali. In the upper and lower reaches of the Niger is rapids, flows mainly in a narrow valley. In the middle reaches, Niger has the character of a flat river. From the Guinean city of Kurus to the Malian capital Bamako, as well as below the city of Segou, Niger flows through a wide valley and is navigable. Below the Malian city of Ke Masina, Niger is divided into several branches, forming an internal delta. In the Inland Delta, the Niger Valley is very boggy. Earlier in this place, Niger flowed into a closed lake. In the Timbuktu area, numerous sleeves are connected into one channel. Then the river flows east along the southern border of the Sahara for 300 km. Near the town of Burem, Niger turns to the southeast and flows to a mouth in a wide valley, navigable. The river flows through the territory of Niger, where there are numerous dry riverbeds (wadi) that once flowed into the Niger along the border of Benin, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea, forming a vast delta with an area of \u200b\u200b24 thousand km². The longest sleeve of the delta is Nun, but for shipping they use the deeper Forkados sleeve.
The main tributaries of the Niger: Milo, Bani (right); Sokoto, Kaduna and Benue (left).
Niger is a relatively "clean" river, compared with the Nile, the turbidity of its water is about ten times less. This is due to the fact that the upper reaches of the Niger pass through rocky terrain and do not carry much silt. Like Neil, Niger spills every year. It starts in September, the peak of the spill occurs in November, and it ends by May.
An unusual feature of the river is the so-called Inner Delta of the Niger, formed in the place of a strong decrease in the longitudinal channel slope. The area is an area of \u200b\u200bchannel multi-arm, marches and lakes the size of Belgium. It has a length of 425 km with an average width of 87 km. Seasonal spills make the inland delta extremely suitable for fishing and agriculture.
Niger loses about two-thirds of its discharge in the inland delta between Segu and Tombouctou due to evaporation and filtration. Even the waters flowing into the delta near the town of Mopti, the Bani River is not enough to compensate for these losses. Average losses are estimated at 31 km³ / year (their size varies greatly from year to year).
After the Inland Delta, many tributaries flow into Niger, but evaporation losses are still very large. The volume of water entering Nigeria in the Yola region was estimated at 25 km³ / year before the 1980s and 13.5 km³ / year during the eighties. The most important tributary of the Niger is the Benue, which merges with it in the Lokoji area. The volume of tributaries in Nigeria is six times greater than the volume of Niger itself when it enters the country. For the Niger delta, expenditures increase to 177 km³ / year (data before the 1980s, during the eighties - 147.3 km³ / year.
This one of the largest rivers in Europe is also the ancestral homeland of civilization. Danube - the sacred river of the Slavs. She is often mentioned in songs, tales, legends and traditions of all Slavic peoples. In addition, the history of the Celts, Thracians, Illyrian and Greeks is associated with the history of the Danube. In ancient times, the Greeks called the Danube as well as the Thracians who lived off the banks of this river - Istr. And only later, already in Roman time, the river was given its modern name, which was pronounced and written as Danubius. In the 7th century BC, the Greeks founded a colony south of the river delta and named it Istria.
The ancients sought the source of the river at first at the Riphean mountains. Then far to the north, and later in the country of the Celts in the Hercynian forest. But already in the year 15 BC, the true sources of the Danube were established in the rule of Tiberius: it begins on the massif now called the Black Forest with two sources at an altitude of 1 kilometer.
Since the reign of Augustus, the Danube has become the border of the Roman state with the northern barbarians. 
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANUBE
Danube (roman. Dunărea, Hungarian. Duna, German. Donau, Serbian. Danube, Slovak. Dunaj, Bulgarian. Danube, Croat. Dunav, Ukrainian Danube, Latin Danubius, Danuvius, other Greek Ίστρος) - second the length of the river in Europe (after the Volga), the "international" river, the longest river in the European Union.
Length - 2960 km.
The river takes its source in Germany, in the Black Forest. Further, the Danube flows or is the border of ten states: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine; passing through such capitals of Central and Eastern Europe as Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade. In addition to these ten countries, the Danube catchment basin covers the territories of another nine European states. The Danube flows into the Black Sea, forming a delta in Romania and Ukraine; the Romanian part of which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Russian name of the river goes back to Praslav. * Dunaj, which was borrowed through the Gothic. * Dōnawi from Celtic. Dānuvius. The Polish scientist Jan Rozvadovsky suggested that the Slavs originally called the Dnieper by the word * Dunaj '(as can be heard in Ukrainian and Belarusian folklore). K. Moshinsky supported this assumption, believing that when part of the Slavs migrated in the vicinity of the Danube, whose name was originally borrowed as * Dunav / * Dunav, the name was transferred from the previously known river. Moshinsky objected T. Ler-Splavinsky, who pointed out that the word "Danube" and its derivatives refers to a dozen rivers and streams in the territory of the spread of Slavic languages, in addition, this word functions as an appeal in Polish and Ukrainian dialects. In this regard, Ler-Slavinsky restores for the Proto-Slavic language the common noun * dunaj "big water", originating from pra-ie. * dhounā. The conclusions of Lera-Splavinsky were ignored in the work of V. N. Toporov and O. N. Trubachev “Linguistic analysis of the hydronyms of the Upper Dnieper,” deriving the hydronym “Dunajec”, found on Slavic lands from the name Danube, for which this work was criticized by Z. Golomb .
A river in Germany with steep cliffs, fragrant vineyards, ancient castles, perched on almost every peak. It is shrouded in numerous myths and legends, including the beautiful siren Lorelei.
The main river in Germany is one of the most important shipping routes of Western European countries. Being born in the Swiss Alps and occupying a basin of 224.4 thousand km2, a full-flowing river subsequently flows into the North Sea.
Geographically, the Rhine The Rhine is one of the most famous, longest and busiest rivers in Europe.
It originates, as has already been said, in the Alps. The river covers most of Switzerland, all of Liechtenstein, as well as a large territory in Germany and the Netherlands, the region in eastern France, western Austria.
Along the picturesque banks of the mighty river, many cities are located.
The Rhine - a river in Germany, whose name comes from the Celtic word renos ("raging stream"), arises as a noisy and bubbling stream, raging in deep gorges. Its mighty current stops a little when the river passes through Lake Boden. Further, the stream holds its way west to Basel.
There, the river turns north and enters the Rhine Graben, a fault zone of the East African plateau located between the Vosges mountains in the west and the Black Forest in the east. Along the settlements of Bingen and Bonn lies the picturesque Rhine Valley (North German Lowland). The largest cities located on the banks of the Rhine (river in Germany) are Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Rotterdam, the leading port of continental Europe, is located near the mouth of the river. At the border with the Netherlands, the stream is divided into two parallel arms of the delta, Lek and Val, crossing a wide and slightly swampy plain.
cologne city and Cologne Cathedral .jpeg)
River cruises
The picturesque Rhine (river in Germany), along the banks of which numerous medieval castles and towers are comfortably located, is a real attraction in several states at once. The Rhine shines with indescribable beauty in the evenings, especially on New Year's Eve, at this time a huge number of tourists and travelers come here who want to enjoy the beautiful spectacle of a romantic show with amazing fireworks.
A variety of pensions, where you can rent a cozy room, as well as many bars and restaurants, offer their services for temporary stay of tourists.
Shipping
The shipping company was launched along the Rhine at the beginning of the 19th century, namely in 1817. From Basel to Köhl, shipping and shipping are not used on a large scale; ships that have a carrying capacity of no more than 400 centners can pass through this space. From Köhl to Plittersdorf, ships can reach 2–3 thousand centners, and, starting on its way from these places, shipping is acquiring considerable commercial importance.
To Mannheim can pass ships weighing up to 12 thousand centners. The tributaries of the Rhine River The Rhine is the largest river in Germany - about 1,233 km long, of which 865 km are in Germany. It is considered one of the most important waterways in Europe. A large number of large as well as small rivers flow into the Rhine (a river in Germany).
The main tributary from Alsace, Illinois, joins it in Strasbourg. The shorter rivers Dreisam and Kinzig, flowing into the Rhine, flow from the Black Forest. Neckar, flowing along the gorge to Heidelberg, enters the Rhine in Mannheim.
The Middle Rhine is the most exciting and romantic part of the river. High shores cover the vineyards to the village of Koblenz, where another tributary, the Moselle, joins the Rhine.
On the right bank, where the most beautiful fortress of Ehrenbreitstein rises, the river Lan flows into a mighty water artery. Below the city of Bonn, the Rhine Valley opens onto a wide plain where the ancient city of Cologne is conveniently located on the left bank of the river. The longest river in Europe The longest river (Rhine) on the map of Europe passes through the territory or borders with such states as Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Its length is more than a thousand kilometers.
The Rhine flows through six countries and is culturally and historically one of the largest and most full-flowing rivers on the continent. It is also the most important industrial and transport artery in the world. The main river in Germany also plays an important role in commercial traffic. Despite the fact that almost all of its length are parallel to the railway tracks. The Rhine is a river that flows through the most densely populated and rich in natural resources and developed industry European countries.
Opens the rating of the largest rivers on Earth "Niger" - this is the most valuable body of water in Western Africa. The length is 4180 kilometers. In terms of size, it is second only to the Nile and Congo, whose pools are also located on the territory of this continent.
The source of the river is located on the slope of the Leon-Liberian Upland, to be precise, in the southeastern part of Guinea. It is worth adding that Niger flows into the bay of the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, delta ownership is formed. Speaking of the largest tributary, it is the Benue River.
Located in the Xinjiang Uygur region of China. The length of the reservoir reaches 4248 kilometers. Therefore, it is larger than the Ob itself. In total, the Ob together with the Irtysh River create the longest watercourse in Russia. He ranks second in the overall ranking by extent in Asia.
The basin area is 1643 thousand square kilometers. Its Origins of birches from the border of Mongolia, as well as China. It is worth noting that this river is rich in freshwater fish.
The length is 4400 kilometers. The area is 2490 thousand square kilometers. Thus, the Lena is the longest river in Central Siberia. If you do not take into account 106 kilometers of the Bykovskaya duct, the length is 4294 kilometers. A large area of \u200b\u200bthe reservoir passes through the Irkutsk region. It is worth noting that Lena is considered the largest in Russia in terms of total area. At the same time, in terms of their location in permafrost regions, there are no analogues to Lena in the world. Lovers of winter fishing come here from all countries.
In wide circles, the reservoir is known as the River of the Nine Dragons. It flows through the territory of the following states:
- China;
- Laos
- Thailand;
- Cambodia
- Vietnam;
- Myanmar.
On the Indochina Peninsula, the Mekong is the largest river, with a length of 4,500 kilometers. At the same time, the basin area is 810 thousand square kilometers. Speaking of water consumption, the indicator is approximately 15,000 m³ / s. Thus, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of this freshwater reservoir!
Another large river located in Central Africa. The length of a large river is 4700 kilometers. It is worth noting that it is the most full-flowing and takes second place in the ranking by length in Africa. In terms of water content, it is second only to the Amazon. In the upper reaches of the Congo exceeds the height of Kisangani.
This is a unique river that crosses the equator twice. The slope is 0.36 m / km. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe pool is 4,014,500 square kilometers. The source begins from the DRC, passes along the border with Zambia. There is other evidence that it emerges from the Chambeshi River. Depth - 230 meters.
It is a long river located in South America. Its length is 4880 kilometers. It affects several states at once, including Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The area of \u200b\u200bthe Parana River is 2,582,672 square kilometers. Of the interesting facts, the following can be distinguished:
- Parana flows into the bay of La Plata;
- in the lower reaches of one of the longest rivers on the planet, shipping is well developed;
- in the middle reaches of Paraná there is a border between Argentina and Paraguay;
- the name translates "big river" from the language of the ancient Guarani Indians.
Finding a freshwater reservoir larger than the Yellow River is quite difficult. One of the largest rivers in China and Asia as a whole means “yellow”, which is associated with the presence of a large amount of sediment. They give it a traditional and extraordinary yellowish tint. Not many people know that it is because of this river that flows into the yellow sea that the second body of water received its name.
The source of the Yellow River is located in eastern Tibet, at an altitude of about 4 thousand meters. The total area is 745 thousand km².
Translated Yangtze means "long river." A really large river located in China is distinguished by a large length (6300 km), covering the territory of many countries of Eurasia. One of the largest rivers on the planet is considered the third in Zemda in terms of full flow. Its area is 1 808 500 square kilometers.
It is worth saying that the Yangtze encompasses many ecosystems, while unique endemic and rare, endangered species of marine animals live in it. In particular, river dolphins.
The ex-leader in the top of the longest rivers today is the Nile, whose length is 6853 kilometers. The source of fresh water originates in the East African plateau. As a result, a huge delta with an area of \u200b\u200b24 thousand square kilometers is formed. For the most part, the Nile flows in the desert.
The longest water system of the Nile, according to Brazilian researchers, is inferior to the Amazon, but most experts are convinced that it is the largest. However, the length of the Nile is inferior to the main competitor in this rating, so we placed the top in this way.
The longest river in the world - The Amazon, whose length is 6992 kilometers. The area is 7180 thousand square kilometers.
It should be recalled that in 2011 a world competition was held, in which the river received the status of one of the seven wonders of the world. For the most part, it flows in the Amazonian lowlands, namely in the sub-latitudinal zone. Forms a huge delta and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The area of \u200b\u200bthe largest river island is 100 kilometers.