Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World

Updated: Oct 6, 2021

Want to learn about the longest rivers in the world? A river is a naturally flowing source of water, usually fresh water, that flows into the ocean, sea, lake, or other river. In this article, we have provided a list of 10 longest rivers in the world along with their length and country of origin.

Top 10 longest rivers in the world:

Nile River - 6,650 km
Amazon River - 6,575 km
Yangtze River - 6,300 km
Mississippi River - 5,970 km
Yenisei River - 5,539 km
Yellow River - 5,464 km
Ob River Irtysh - 5,410 km
Rio de la Plata - 4,880 km
Congo River - 4,700 km
River Amur - 4,444 km

There are several key factors to consider when trying to determine the longest river in the world, these are:

Source (where the river begins)
Location of the estuary (where the river flows out, effectively where the river head and sea/ocean/estuary begin)

Because there are not always clear answers to these two points, the lengths of a river are approximate numbers (and, indeed, may change over time). In addition to the fact that there may not be a true flow of a river (with its many tributaries and channels), measuring rivers across lakes can be complex, and seasons and year-to-year changes can be complex. can affect both rivers and lakes, and a river's length will vary depending on whether you measure the center or the side.

1. Nile River - 6,650 km

Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan

The Nile - dubbed the 'father of African rivers' is the longest river in Africa - and the world (although disputed, as noted above). It flows northward through 11 countries from Central to Northeast Africa, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea at a rate of 2,800 cubic meters per second.

The Nile actually has two sources - the White Nile and the Blue Nile.

Year-round availability of water from the Nile combined with warm tropical and subtropical temperatures along its course means that the river can support intensive farming along its banks. The river is also an important waterway for traffic - especially during the flood season when roadways are often inactive for long periods of time.

2. Amazon River - 6,575 km

Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana

The second longest river in the world is the Amazon River, which begins high in the Andes Mountains in Southeast America, flows through the world's largest rainforest, through 7 countries on its way and empties into the South Atlantic Ocean.

While it may not be the longest river on the planet, it has no challenge with the largest river in the world, which reaches 190 kilometers wide in the wet season and dumps about 209,000 cubic meters of water into the Atlantic Ocean. every second . That's a huge amount of water!

3. Yangtze River - 6,300 km

China

Third on this list is China's Yangtze River - the longest river in Asia, and the longest flowing entirely within a single country. In China, the Yangtze is known as the Yangtze ("Long River"), but also known as Dajiang ("Great River") and simply Jiang ("River").

From its headwaters on the Tibetan Plateau to the mouth of the East China Sea, the river flows for 6,300 kilometers through China, with more than three-quarters of its length winding through the mountains. The Yangtze is the main waterway in China, with one-third of the Chinese population living in the Yangtze River basin.

4. Mississippi River - 5,970 km

United States, Canada

When measured from its traditional source at Lake Itasca, the Mississippi River is 3,730 km long, but as measured from the Brower's Spring in Montana - Mississippi's farthest ocean source - the river is actually 5,970 km long. This officially makes the Mississippi River the fourth longest river in the world.

The river and its floodplains are home to a wide variety of wildlife, approximately 260 species of fish, 40% of the United States' migratory waterfowl, and more than 145 species of amphibians and reptiles.

5. Yenisei River - 5,539 km

Russia, Mongolia

The Yenisey is the fifth longest river in the world and the largest river emptying into the North Pole. With its source in Mongolia, the Yenisey flows a large part of central Siberia as it flows north to the Kara Sea.

Many nomadic tribes - such as the Ket and the Yugh - have lived along the riverbank since records began, and the Yenisey is home to the Taimyr, the largest herd of reindeer in the world. for grazing in winter.

Yenisey is upset by radioactive contamination from a plutonium plant in present-day Zheleznogorsk.

6. Yellow River - 5,464 km

China

China's second longest river and sixth longest in the world, the Yellow River has an estimated length of 5,464 km. The river originates in the mountains west of Cina's Qinghai province and flows east to the Bohai Sea.

The Yellow River basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and for a long time the most prosperous region of the country. Over the centuries there have been a number of large-scale natural disasters along the river, with several record-breaking floods that have killed more than a million people and massive displacements on the river. Modern dams have helped to eliminate severe flooding in rivers.

7. Ob River Irtysh - 5,410 km

Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia

The Ob River is the largest river in Russia, located in Western Siberia, joining the Irtysh River from Kazakhstan to become the Orb Irtysh. The Ob basin stretches across much of Western Siberia, including semi-deserts, grasslands, forests, and plains.

The river is frozen for half a year each year, and during the rest of the year is heavily used for the transport of people and goods.

8. La Plata River - 4,880 km

Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay

The Río de la Plata itself is only 290 kilometers long, but as part of a river system that includes the Paraná and the Rio Grande, it is undoubtedly one of the longest rivers in the world at 4,880 kilometers in length. Not only that, the Rio de la Plata is officially the widest river in the world with a width of 220 km in many places.

As it runs through South America, its coastline is the most populated part of both Uruguay and Argentina, and includes the capital cities of Montevideo and Buenos Aires respectively.

9. Congo River - 4,700 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda

Perhaps Africa's most mysterious river, and certainly the second longest (after the Nile), the Congo River winds - in part - through impenetrable virgin rainforest.

With tropical deforestation across the globe, the entire Congo River and catchment area is considered crucial to the ecological health of the world. Crossing the equator twice in its journey from the South DRC to the Atlantic Ocean, the Congo River is a source of water for forest species such as forest elephants, gorillas, lions, hyenas, antelopes and more than 600 species fish.

10. River Amur - 4,444 km

Russia, China, Mongolia

The Amur River forms much of the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, winding eastward for 2,824 kilometers. Including the source river Argun, it is a total of 4,440 km long. Amur is known in China as Heilongjiang, which means "Black Dragon River".

The river is mainly fed by monsoon rains that fall in summer and autumn, which lead to annual flooding from May to October, and is home to about 100 species of fish including 20 species of fish. native carp, Siberian salmon and Chinese perch.