Top 10 Longest Rivers In The World By Length

Yangtze River- 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES)
Yangtze River- 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES)

A river can be defined as a natural stream of water flowing in a channel such as a sea, a lake, or probably another river. It can be seen in all continent of the globe and almost all the land areas in the world. Now, the question arises, what are the longest rivers in the world? however, measuring the length of a river is very difficult and on a length basis, it will only work on approximations. There are many factors in measuring the length of the river by researchers such as length, drainage area, and the river’s average discharge. The passage where the river flows is known as a river bed and the land area on both sides are known as a riverbank. The movement of water in the river is known as current and it is strongest near the river’s source. Here is the list of longest rivers in the world,

Longest Rivers In The World

1.Nile River- 6,650 KM (4,132 MILES)

  • Nile River is the longest river in the world by the length that flows through a distance of 6,650 KM (4,132 MILES).
  • The Nile is an international river and its water has been shared by 11 countries that include Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.
  • The drainage basin of the river encompasses about 10 per cent of the area of Africa.
  • The avarage discharge of the river is about 300 million cubic meters per day.
  • The major tributaries of the river Nile are the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
  • There is also a third river known as Atbara that flows into the Nile in Sudan but the total water share is only 1% of the total water flow.

Also Read: 15 Coldest Countries in the World 2024

Nile River- 6,650 KM (4,132 MILES)
Nile River- 6,650 KM (4,132 MILES)

2.Amazon River- 6,400 KM (3,976 MILES)

  • Amazon river is the largest river in the world by water discharge and the second-longest in the world by length.
  • It originates from the Andes Mountains in Peru and water has-beens hared by the countries that include Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
  • Amazon River is also the widest river in the world with an approximate width between 1.6 and 10 kilometres at low stage, however, it expands during the wet season to 48 kilometres or even more.
  • The mouth of the amazon river is around 320 kilometres or 200 miles wide.
  • The river discharges around 209,000 cubic meters every second and the total discharge is combinedly greater than the next seven largest rivers in the world together.
  • It has the largest drainage basin in the world with an approximate area of 7,050,000 square kilometres.
  • Amazon river has a total of 1,100 tributaries and 17 of them are longer than 1,600 kilometres.
  • The forest surrounding the world known as the Amazon rainforest is the largest in the world and supported by a river.
Amazon River- 6,400 KM (3,976 MILES)
Amazon River- 6,400 KM (3,976 MILES)

3.Yangtze River- 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES)

  • Yangtze River in Chinese is known as “Changjiang” is the longest river in China with an estimated length of 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES).
  • It is the third-longest river in the world followed by the Nile River in Africa and the Amazon River in South America.
  • Yangtze River can be listed as one of the longest rivers in the world to flow entirely in one country.
  • This is the sixth-largest river in the world by water discharged with over 30,000 cubic meters (1,059,440 cubic feet) a second.
  • Yangtze River rises in Tanggula Mountain making its path towards the east and later pours itself in the East China Sea.
  • The river flows through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai from west to east.
  • Yangtze River has around 700 tributaries and the primary ones are Hanjiang, Yalongjiang, Minjiang, Jialingjiang, Wujiang, Xiangjiang, Yuanjiang and Ganjiang.
Yangtze River- 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES)
Yangtze River- 6,300 KM (3,917 MILES)

4.Mississippi River- 6,275 KM (3,902 MILES)

  • Mississippi River is one of the longest world rivers by length acquiring an area of 6,275 KM (3,902 MILES).
  • It lies entirely within the United States.
  • Mississippi River shares its water with 10 states of the US that include Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
  • The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers together will be the longest river system in the USA and North America.
  • The river stretches to be over 11 kilometres at its widest point.
  • Mississippi River discharges around 7,000–20,000 cubic meters per second of water. Though it is one of the longest rivers in the world but is only 8% of the flow of the Amazon River.
Mississippi River- 6,275 KM (3,902 MILES)
Mississippi River- 6,275 KM (3,902 MILES)

5.Yenisei River- 5,539KM (3,445 MILES)

  • Yenisei River is the fifth-longest world rivers with an estimated length of 5,539KM (3,445 MILES).
  • It is also known as Yenisei, Enisei, or Jenisej.
  • The river rises in Mongolia and then flows through Russia and finally drains into the Kara Sea.
  • The tributaries of the river include the Lower Tunguska, the Angara River and the Tunguska River.
  • The maximum depth of the Yenisey is 24 metres with an avarage depth of 14 metres.
  • Yenisei River is home to ancient nomadic tribes that includes e Yugh people, the Ket people, the Kotts, Asians and Arians.
Yenisei River- 5,539KM (3,445 MILES)
Yenisei River- 5,539KM (3,445 MILES)

6.Yellow River-5,464KM (3,395 MILES)

  • Yellow River known as Huáng Hé in Chinese is the second-longest river in China followed by the Yangtze River and also the third longest river in Asia.
  • One of the longest world rivers originates in the Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai province in western China and later cover 9 provinces of China and ends up in the Bohai Sea.
  • It is known as the yellow river because the huge amounts of loess sediment turn the water that colour.
  • The river originates at an elevation of 4,500 meters.
  • Yellow River is slow throughout the course and also popular as the world’s muddiest major river because it discharged three times the sediment of the Mississippi River.
  • The total river span is divided into three stages such as upper reaches, middle reaches, and lower reaches.
  • The river is the symbol of the Chinese spirit that bears its burdens, adaptation and perseverance.
Yellow River-5,464KM (3,395 MILES)
Yellow River-5,464KM (3,395 MILES)

7.Ob (river)-5,410KM (3,364 MILES)

  • Ob river is one of the important rivers in western Siberia, Russia.
  • One of the longest world rivers by length has a span of 5,410KM (3,364 MILES) and has the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Altai Mountains.
  • It is one of the three longest rivers in Russia followed by the other two being the Yenisei and the Lena that flows into the Arctic Ocean.
  • The main city on the banks of the river is Novosibirsk which is also the largest city in Siberian and the third largest in Russia.
  • The Gulf of Ob is the world’s longest estuary.
Ob (river)-5,410KM (3,364 MILES)
Ob (river)-5,410KM (3,364 MILES)

8.Parana River-4,880KM (3,030 MILES)

  • Parana River originates in South America and then flows through the three countries namely Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.
  • One of the longest rivers in the world has its course of around 4,880KM (3,030 MILES)till it joins the Uruguay River to form the extensive Río de la Plata estuary of the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The drainage basin of the river is around 1,081,000 square miles (2,800,000 square km).
  • The upper course of the river has three tributaries namely the Tiete, the Paranapanema, and the Iguacu.
  • It is the second-longest river in South America followed by the Amazon river among the South American rivers.
Parana River-4,880KM (3,030 MILES)
Parana River-4,880KM (3,030 MILES)

9.Congo River-4,700KM (2,922 MILES)

  • Congo River was formerly known as the Zaire River and it is the second-longest river in Africa followed by the Nile.
  • Congo River is the world’s deepest river with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft).
  • It is also the second-longest river in the world by discharge volume followed by Amazon.
  • The river is the main source of transportation in Central Africa.
  • It is one of the important rivers in Africa with an average of 41,000 cubic meters flows into the Atlantic ocean every second from the river.
  • The source of the river is the mountains and highlands of the East African Rift including Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru.
Congo River-4,700KM (2,922 MILES)
Congo River-4,700KM (2,922 MILES)

10.Amur River-4,444KM (2,763 MILES)

  • Amur River act as a border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China.
  • It is also known as Heilong Jiang in Chinese and flows towards the east direction.
  • The river is formed by the junction of the Shilka River and the Argun River.
  • The largest fish captured in the Amur river is Kaluga that attains a length of 5.6 metres (18 ft).
  • The river basin is also home to a variety of fishes such as northern snakehead, Amur pike, taimen, Amur catfish, predatory carp and yellow cheek.
  • It rises in the Russian Federation and later in the Argun River.
Amur River-4,444KM (2,763 MILES)
Amur River-4,444KM (2,763 MILES)

These are the longest rivers in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.