< RiverRevision as of 13:41, 19 January 2008 by imported>Shawn Goldwater
This is a list of the longest rivers on the Earth. The data should be considered as approximate and informative, since it is difficult to precisely measure rivers' lengths and drainage areas, while the discharges vary considerably in time.
|
|
River
|
Length (km)
|
Drainage area (km²)
|
Average discharge at mouth (m³/s)
|
Source
|
Outflow
|
Continent
|
Countries
|
| 1.
|
Amazon
|
6,520
|
7,180,000
|
180,000
|
inter-Andean plateau
|
Atlantic Ocean
|
South America
|
Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela
|
| 2.
|
Nile
|
6,480
|
2,880,000
|
1,600
|
Great Lakes region of central Africa (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile)
|
Mediterranean Sea
|
Africa
|
Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt
|
| 3.
|
Yangtze
|
6,300
|
1,970,000
|
35,000
|
Qinghai Province, China
|
East China Sea
|
Asia
|
China
|
| 4.
|
Mississippi - Missouri
|
6,020
|
3,220,000
|
17,545
|
Lake Itasca, Minnesota (Mississippi); Brower's Spring, Montana, United States (Missouri)
|
Gulf of Mexico
|
North America
|
United States
|
| 5.
|
Ob - Irtysh
|
5,570
|
2,975,000
|
12,600
|
|
Gulf of Ob
|
Asia
|
Russia
|
| 6.
|
Yenisei
|
5,550
|
2,605,000
|
19,600
|
|
Kara Sea
|
Asia
|
|
| 7.
|
Yellow River
|
4,850
|
745,000
|
1,365
|
Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake, Qinghai Province, China
|
Bohai Sea
|
Asia
|
China
|
| 8.
|
Congo
|
4,700
|
3,822,000
|
42,000
|
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Mweru
|
Atlantic Ocean
|
Africa
|
|
| 9.
|
Amur
|
4,510
|
1,855,000
|
12,500
|
|
Sea of Okhotsk
|
Asia
|
Mongolia, Russia, China
|
| 10.
|
Río de la Plata
|
4,700
|
2,650,000
|
19,500
|
|
Atlantic ocean
|
South America
|
Argentina, Uruguay
|
| 11.
|
Lena
|
4,270
|
2,490
|
16,400
|
Baikal Mountains
|
Laptev Sea
|
Asia
|
Russia
|
| 12.
|
Mekong
|
4,350
|
810,000
|
|
|
South China Sea
|
Asia
|
Laos, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar
|
| 13.
|
Mackenzie
|
4,250
|
|
|
|
Beaufort Sea
|
North America
|
|
| 14.
|
Niger
|
4,030
|
|
|
|
Gulf of Guinea
|
Africa
|
|
| 15.
|
Saint Lawrence
|
3,100
|
|
|
|
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
|
North America
|
Canada, United States
|
| 16.
|
Volga
|
3,690
|
|
|
|
Caspian Sea
|
Europe
|
Russia
|
| 17.
|
Murray - Darling
|
3,370
|
|
|
|
Pacific Ocean
|
Australia
|
Australia
|
| 18.
|
Yukon
|
3,185
|
|
|
|
Bering Sea
|
North America
|
|
| 19.
|
Zambezi
|
2,660
|
|
|
|
Mozambique Channel
|
Africa
|
|
| 20.
|
Orinoco
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
|
Sout America
|
|
| 21.
|
São Francisco
|
2,900
|
|
|
|
Atlantic Ocean
|
South America
|
|
| 22.
|
Rio Grande
|
2,870
|
|
|
|
Gulf of Mexico
|
North America
|
|
| 23.
|
Indus
|
|
|
|
|
Arabian Sea
|
Asia
|
|
| 24.
|
Euphrates - Tigris
|
|
|
|
|
Persian Gulf
|
Asia
|
|
| 25.
|
Danube
|
2,860
|
805,000
|
6,450
|
Black Forest, Germany
|
Black Sea
|
Europe
|
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine
|
| 26.
|
Salween
|
|
|
|
|
Andaman Sea
|
Asia
|
|
| 27.
|
Brahmaputra
|
|
|
|
|
Bay of Bengal
|
Asia
|
|
| 28.
|
Nelson
|
|
|
|
|
Hudson Bay
|
North America
|
|
| 29.
|
Ganges
|
2,510
|
1,070,000
|
15,000
|
Gangotri Glacier, Himalayas (India)
|
Bay of Bengal
|
Asia
|
India, Bangladesh
|
| 30.
|
Amu Darya
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asia
|
|
| 31.
|
Ural
|
2,534
|
220,000
|
350
|
|
Caspian Sea
|
Asia
|
Russia, Kazakhstan
|
| 32.
|
Kolyma
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
East Siberian Sea
|
Asia
|
Russia
|
| 33.
|
Colorado
|
2,333
|
390,000
|
|
La Poudre Pass Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado, United States)
|
Gulf of California
|
North America
|
United States
|
| 34.
|
Dnieper
|
|
|
|
|
Black Sea
|
Europe
|
|
| 35.
|
Olenyok
|
2,300
|
|
|
|
Laptev Sea
|
Asia
|
Russia
|
| 36.
|
Orange
|
|
|
|
|
Atlantic Ocean
|
Africa
|
|
| 37.
|
Tarim - Khotan
|
2,100
|
|
|
|
Lop Nur
|
Asia
|
China
|
| 38.
|
Columbia
|
2,250
|
|
|
|
Pacific Ocean
|
North America
|
United States, Canada
|
External links
