By : Neha Dhyani
Updated : Mar 15, 2023, 16:44
The largest river in the world is the Nile river, which has a total length of 6,650 km. Rivers are a source of life for all living beings, as around them, you can easily find food, animals, and plants. The banks of most rivers are also a place of human settlement. Transport, recreation, and energy depend largely on rivers.
The largest rivers in the world are determined by their overall length or their drainage basin. Here, we'll share with you the largest rivers in the world, the countries they pass through, and the animals and plants found around them.
Here's a list of the top 10 largest rivers in the world measured by their average water discharged:
Rank | River Name | Water discharged (cubic feet per second) |
1. | Amazon River | 224,000 |
2. | Congo River | 41,200 |
3. | Ganges River | 41,190 |
4. | Orinoco River | 37,740 |
5. | Rio Negro River | 35,943 |
6. | Yangtze River | 35,000 |
7. | Madeira River | 31,200 |
8. | Rio De La Plata River | 27,225 |
9. | Brahmaputra | 19,825 |
10. | Yenisei | 19,800 |
Indus River is the largest river in India. It has a total length of 3,180 km. River Indus is was known as the ‘Sindhu’ river in ancient India.
originates from Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and flows through Ladakh and Punjab in India before joining the Arabian Sea at Karachi port in Pakistan.
Rivers are an important part of our life, and they also support the travel and livelihood of many plants and animals.Find the top longest rivers in the world by length given below:
Rank | River Name | Length (in km) |
1. | Nile River | 6,650 |
2. | Amazon River | 6,400 |
3. | Yangtze River | 6,300 |
4. | Mississippi River | 6,275 |
5. | Yenisey River | 5,539 |
6. | Yellow River | 5,464 |
7. | Ob River | 5,410 |
8. | Rio de la Plata | 4,880 |
9. | Congo River | 4,700 |
10. | Amur River | 4,444 |
At 4132 miles, the Nile River is the longest river in the world and the tenth largest in the world. Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are some of the countries it flows through. Its two tributaries are the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
Amazon river flows through Brazil, Peru, and Columbia. It makes up 20% of the world's river flow volume. Besides 300 types of fish, you'll also find crabs, otters, eels, turtles, manatees, dolphins, and the world-famous anaconda in this river. The total length of the Amazon river is 3,997 miles.
This river ranks third on the list of longest rivers globally and supports one-third of China's population. On the upper side of this river, you can find the world's deepest gorge, the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Some of the important cities that you'll find along the Yangtze's riverbanks are Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, Yichang, Wuxi, and Zhenjiang.
At 2320 miles, this is the fourth largest river in the world. More than 18 million people depend on it for water and plant domestication. Its Western tributary is the Missouri River, while the Eastern Tributary is the Ohio River.
At the fifth position, we have the Yenisei River, which originates in Mongolia. It flows through Russia, the Irkutsk region, and the Transbaikalia territory before meeting the Arctic Ocean. The Yenisei watershed has the largest freshwater lake worldwide, Lake Baikal.
Yellow river is located in China and has a total length of 3,395 miles. Ranked number nine, the yellow river originates in the Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai province and ends at the Bohai Sea.
In the seventh position is the Ob or Obi River. Though found mainly in Russia, you can find its tributaries in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China.
Formed by the confluence of the Paraná River and the Uruguay River at Punta Gorda, this river drains into the Atlantic Ocean. It has a total length of about 290 kilometers. Rio de la Plata is part of the border between Uruguay and Argentina.
Congo River
This is the ninth-longest river in the world, and it was earlier known as the Zaire River. It flows through Angola, Zambia, Gabon, and Cameroon before meeting the Atlantic Ocean. It also provides hydropower to the entire Sub-Saharan African Region. It is 2716 miles long.
Located at the border of Russia and China, the eighth largest river in the world, measures 2,714 miles. It jointly originates from the Shilka River in Russia and the Argun River in Manchuria and finally enters the Tartar Straits.
The largest river in the world by volume is the Amazon River. This river is located in South America and has a basin size of 7,000,000 square km. The Amazon river disposes of 20% of the world’s total river discharge in the world's oceans. It originates from Brazil.
The largest river in India is the Indus river. It has a length of 3,180 km. River Indus originates from Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and flows through Ladakh and Punjab in India before joining the Arabian Sea at Karachi port in Pakistan.
The second largest river in the world is the Nile river. It is approximately 6,695 kilometers long. Earlier, it was believed to be the largest river in the world. However, the Amazon River in South America is considered the longest river as it is 6,800 kilometers long.
The Nile river was considered the longest river in the world earlier. However, the Amazon river is believed to be the longest river. While the Amazon river has a total length of 6,800 kilometers, the Nile has a length of 6,695 kilometers.
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