The Longest Rivers in The World

Rivers can be defined as natural flowing bodies of freshwater that flow from high elevations to lower elevations and eventually drain into rivers, oceans, lakes, or seas.

It is difficult to determine which river is the longest in the world from the many rivers that flow across the continents. While most people believe the Nile River is longest, some experts claim that the Amazon River is longer. And we will tell you as much as we know about the longest rivers in the world in this blog.

A peer-reviewed article in the “International Journal of Digital Earth in 2009 clarified the confusion and declared that the Nile River is the longest river in all of the world. This article will discuss the ten longest rivers in the world.

10 Longest Rivers in The World

1. Nile River: 4,130 miles(6,650km)

2. Amazon River: 3,976 miles(6,400km)

3. Yangtze River: 3,917 miles(6,300km)

4. Mississippi River: 3,902 miles(6,275km)

5. Yenisey-Angara-Selenga River: 3,445 miles(5,539km)

6. Yellow River: 3,395 mi(5,464km)

7. Ob-Irtysh River: 3,362 miles(5,410km)

8. Rio de La Plata-Parana-Rio Grande River: 3,030 mi(4,880km)

9. Congo-Chambeshi River System: 2,922mi(4,700km)

10. Amur River: 2,763 mi(4,444km)

1. Nile River: (6,650km)

Countries in the drainage basin: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi

Also called the “Father Of African Rivers”, the 6,650km-long River Nile, is the longest river in Africa. The combination of the two main tributaries, the White Nile (and the Blue Nile) creates the Nile River. At Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the two main tributaries of river Nile join forces.

The first section of the river Nile flows approximately 1,380km from Khartoum to Lake Nasser. The second portion flows about 80km through a series five cataracts, before reaching the final cataract. The Nile River eventually enters the delta area in North Cairo, and then splits into two separate distributaries before finally emptying into Mediterranean Sea.

The Nile drainage basin covers approximately 3,349,000 square feet. It covers approximately 3,349,000 sq. km and includes parts of 11 African Nations like Burundi, DR Congo.

2. Amazon River – 6,400km

Countries in the drainage basin: Brazil, Peru and Colombia

Discussing the ten longest rivers in the world, the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world. The Amazon River is the 2nd largest river in the world, and it’s also one of the longest rivers in the world. It’s about 6,400km long, which is enough to make it the longest river on this list. The Amazon River originates from a large ice sheet in the Andes Mountains and flows through South America.

In 2014, a peer-reviewed publication revealed that the Amazon River’s origin is the Mantaro River headwaters, which rise in Peru’s Cordillera Rumi Cruz. The waters from the Mantaro River join those of the Apurimac River. These waters are further joined by other tributaries down to form the Ucayali River. The main stem of the Amazon River is formed when the Ucayali River merges with the Maranon River.

The Amazon River eventually flows into the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian city Belem. The Amazon River Basin is approximately 7,050,000 square miles. Its entire watershed covers the South American countries of Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia as well as Ecuador, Peru and Guyana.

3. Yangtze River – 6,300km

Countries in the drainage basin: China

The Yangtze River is another one of those rivers on this list that does qualify for being called “The Longest Rivers in The World” anything when compared to other rivers like how we add others.

Qutang Gorge and Yangtze River in Baidicheng, Chongqing, China. The 6,300km-long Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. It drains approximately one-fifth of China’s total land area. Jari Hill is the source of the Yangtze River at 5,710m above sea level in the Tanggula Mountains.

The Yangtze River is the longest river in the world that flows within the borders of one country. It has over 700 tributaries along its entire length. It finally flows into the East China Sea near Shanghai. It covers approximately 1,808,500 square kilometers.

The Yangtze River Basin covers approximately 1,808,500 sq. km. It is the seventh largest river in terms of its discharge volume. It discharges an average of 30,166 cubic meters per minute. The Yangtze River flows through eleven Chinese provinces: Anhui, Chongqing Hubei, Hubei Jiangxi Jiangxi Qinghai Sichuan Shanghai, Tibet, Yunnan.

4. Mississippi/Missouri River – 6,275km

Countries in the drainage basin: United States

The Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River system is considered the fourth-longest river in the world. The Mississippi River is the North America’s 2nd-longest river. It measures 3,770km, from Lake Itasca to its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico Mississippi River Delta.

The Missouri River is North America’s longest river. It measures 3,767km, from its source in the Rocky Mountains up to its confluence at the lower Mississippi River. The Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River System drains 32 US States and 2 Canadian provinces.

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5. Yenisey-Angara-Selenga River – 5,539km

Countries in the drainage basin: Russia

The Yenisey-Angara-Selenga River system is considered the world’s fifth-longest river and the largest that empties into the Arctic Ocean. The headwater of Yenisey Angara River’s Yenisey River system is the Selenga River, which runs 992 km and empties into Lake Baikal.

The Angara River, the headwater tributary to the Yenisey River, flows from Lake Baikal near Listvyanka to the city of Strelka. It then merges with the Yenisey River at the end of the Russia’s Oblast. The Yenisey River is a stream that flows north through large portions of Siberia, before it drains via the Yenisei Gulf to the Kara Sea.

6. Yellow River – 5,464km

Countries in the drainage basin: China

Discussing the ten longest rivers in the world, the Yellow River is the second longest river in the world. Also known as Huang He the 5,464 km long Yellow River river is China’s second-longest and sixth longest river. The Yellow River flows from the Bayan Har Mountains, near the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s eastern tip. The river then flows through the vast North China Plain, before it empties into the Gulf of Bohai.

The Yellow River Basin covers 752,546 square kilometers. The Yellow River Basin flows through seven provinces in China and two autonomous regions. The Yellow River discharges an average of 2,571 cubic metres per second.

7. Ob-Irtysh River – 5,410km

Countries in the drainage basin: Mongolia and China

The Ob-Irtysh river system is the seventh longest in the world. The Ob River rises near the intersection of the Biya-Katen rivers in the Altai Mountains. The large Irtysh River joins the Orb River at 69 degrees East longitude. It eventually drains into the Kara Sea of Arctic Ocean via the Gulf of Ob. The combined Ob-Irtysh river system drains an area totalling 2,990,000. km.

8. Rio De La Plata-Parana-Rio Grande River – 4,880km

Countries in the drainage basin: Argentina, Brazil

The Rio de La Plata – Parana-Rio Grande River is the eighth longest river in the world. The Parana River is formed at the intersection of the Rio Grande & Paranaiba rivers in southern Brazil.

The river joins the Paraguay River with the Uruguay River to form the Rio de la Plata River that eventually drains into Atlantic Ocean. The Rio de La Plata -Parana – Rio Grande River system drains an area 2,582,672 sq. km.

9. Congo-Chambeshi River System – 4,700km

Countries in the drainage basin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola

The Congo River is also known as “the second-longest river in Africa,” but it’s not really that long compared to others on this list. The Congo River is only 2922 miles long, which means that it doesn’t quite qualify for being considered as one of the longest rivers in the world. However, this river is very wide at 2,000 miles wide! That makes it very impressive for its size when compared to other rivers on this list!

The Chambeshi River is the Congo River’s most remote headstream. It originates high up in the mountains, at 1,760m above Lake Tanganyika.

The river flows into the Bangweulu Swamps from where it flows out to the Luapula River. Actually, the Chambeshi River is a tributary to the 1,800km-long Lualaba River. This is the largest headstream in terms of water volume in the Congo River.

10. Amur-Argun-Kherlen River System – 4,444km

Countries in the drainage basin: Russia and China

The world’s tenth-longest river is the Amur-Argun–Kherlen River System. The 4444 km-long Amur River, also known as Heilong Jin, originates at the intersection of the Argun River and Shilka Rivers in Northeast China’s western region.

It forms the boundary between Southeast Siberia (now Northeastern China) and Northeastern China. An area of 1,855,000 square kilometers is drained by the Amur River. The average discharge volume is 11,400 cubic meters per second. The 1,620km-long Argun River and the Amur River form a part of the eastern border between Russia and China.

The 1,254km-long Kherlen River, which originates on the southern slopes of the Khentii Mountains and eventually flows east into Hulun Lake. It then joins the Argun River.

This article will discuss the ten longest rivers worldwide. Two of the ten longest rivers in the world are from Africa, two come from South America, one is from North America and five are from Asia. As you can see, the majority of major cities in the world are situated along the banks of rivers and use the water for drinking water, power generation, navigation and other recreational purposes.