1. Nile River
The Nile River is the longest in the world, although its actual length is uncertain. It is located in Africa. Its source is Lake Victoria, which drains in the Mediterranean with a drainage area of 3,254,555 square km.
It flows in eleven countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. It is the primary source for both Egypt and Sudan.
The water also has two tributaries: the White Nile, the primary source of the Nile, and the Blue Nile, the primary source of water and silt.
2. Amazon River
It is regarded as the second-longest river in the world. However, this position is arguable as some scientists and researchers disagree and state it is longer than the River Nile.
Notwithstanding, it is the longest in South America and the largest in terms of water discharge worldwide.
The sea originates in the Andean Mountains of Peru and drains in the Atlantic Ocean close to Northern Brazil with a drainage area of 7,000,000 square km. It has ocean systems in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Guyana. It provides 20% of the ocean’s fresh water supply.
3. Yangtze River
This sea is located in China and is the longest to run through an entire country. It is also known as Chang Jiang River (long river) in China and is the longest river in Asia. It is the main waterway in China, and one-third of China’s population lives in the Yangtze basin.
The Chinese government regards the Tuotuo tributary in the Tanggula mountain as the source, but other information states otherwise. It drains in the East China sea of Shanghai with an area of 1,800,000 square km. It brought civilisation to China and contributes to 20% of China’s GDP growth.
4. Mississippi River
It is the longest river in the US and the fourth in the world. It meets with river Missouri and Jefferson in different parts of the state and is also called river Mississippi Missouri-Jefferson. It originates in Northern Minnesota, where Lake Itasca is said to be its source, and it drains in the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage area of 2,980,000 square km.
The countries in its drainage basin are USA and Canada. It also has significance to the Native American culture and served as a major means of transportation for the United States in the 19th century.
5. Yenisei Rivers
It is the fifth-longest river that originates in Mongolia and flows into central Siberia before draining into the Kara sea of the Arctic ocean. It is home to 55 native fish species and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean, with a drainage area of 2,580,000 square km.
6. Yellow River
It is also known as Huang He and remains one of the longest rivers in China and the world. It is called the Yellow River because of its silt. It originates from the Bayan Har mountains in Qinghai province, western China. It drains in the Bohai sea with an area of 745,000 square km.
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It aided the Chinese civilisation, yet it was disturbed by floods, which have caused major disasters in China. It is polluted, thereby killing lots of fish species. Some people call it China’s sorrow.
7. Ob-Irtysh River
This is the seventh-longest river and is also known as the Ob River. It is among the three greatest Siberian rivers, along with Yenisei and Lena. Its source is Atlas Mountain, which flows into the Gulf of Ob in the Arctic Ocean with a drainage area of 2,990,000 square km.
It is sometimes frozen for half of the year and used as a means of transportation through the remainder of the year. It flows through Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia.
8. Rio de la Plata River
This is one of the world’s longest and widest rivers. It flows through Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. It serves as a place for fishing and provides water supply to various countries.
Rio-de-la-Plata, on its own, is only 290 kilometres long, but it joins River Parana and the Rio Grande to make up 4,880 km. Then, it has a drainage area of 2,582,672 square km.
9. Congo River
This is the second-longest river in Africa and one of the world’s longest. It is the deepest river in the world, exceeding 220m (720 feet). It is also called the Zaire river and originates from the Lualaba river. It drains into the Atlantic ocean with 3,680,000 square km. It is the only one to cross the equator twice and has diverse species.
It flows through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Cameron, Zambia, Burundi, and Rwanda.
10. Amur River
The Amur River is the tenth-longest river in the world. The river forms a natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China, flowing into the Sea of Okhotsk, the Pacific Ocean, and the Strait of Tartary. The river is home to a wide range of animals, including the Amur softshell turtle and various fish species.
Many of these are larger predatory fish like Amur pike, northern snakehead, and carp, as well as the massive kaluga, which has been known to reach over 5.5 meters in length.