Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World: The Nile River is the longest river in the world whereas the Amazon is the largest river in the world. A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. It is a part of the hydrological cycle; water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpack (e.g., from glaciers). The top 10 Longest rivers in the world are given in the table below.
Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World
Here is the list of the top 10 longest rivers in the world with total length, location, drainage area, drain name and covered countries.
| The longest Rivers in the World | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Name | Location | Length (Miles) | Length (Km) | Drainage Area | Drain | Countries |
| Nile | Africa | 4130 | 6650 | 32,54,555 | Mediterranean Sea | Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan |
| Amazon | South America | 4086 | 6575 | 70,50,000 | Atlantic Ocean | Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana |
| Yangtze | China | 3917 | 6300 | 18,00,000 | South China Sea | China |
| Mississippi | USA | 3902 | 6275 | 29,80,000 | Gulf Of Maxico | USA, Canada |
| Yenisei-Angara-Selenge-Ider | Russia | 3445 | 5539 | 2,580,000 | Kara Sea | Russia, Mongolia |
| Yellow | China | 3398 | 5464 | 745,000 | Bohai Sea | China |
| Ob-Irtysh | Russia | 3364 | 5410 | 2,990,000 | Gulf of Ob | Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia |
| Parana | Uruguay | 3030 | 4880 | 2,582,672 | Rio de la Plata | Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay |
| Congo | Africa | 2922 | 4700 | 3,680,000 | Atlantic Ocean | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda |
| Amur | Asia | 2800 | 4480 | 1,855,000 | Sea of Okhotsk | Russia, China, Mongolia |
Longest River in the World
Detailed analysis on the top 10 longest rivers in the world is given below.
1. Nile River- 6650 Kms
The Nile River is considered the longest river in the world. The total length of the Nile river is 6650 Kms. Lake Victoria is considered to be the source of the river. Its flows through Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Blue and the White Nile are the two tributaries of the river. Although for most of us, the Nile River is the longest river in the world, there is a section of scholars who regard the Amazon River as the true winner of this title. Large rivers like the Nile and Amazon have numerous sources and many large and small tributaries. The need to find the furthest source of a river is there if the true length of the river has to be calculated. Often, such sources are located in remote and inaccessible locations, rendering the discovery of such sources an arduous task.
2. The Amazon River- 6575 Kms
The Amazon River is undoubtedly the largest river in the world by discharge volume of water. However, its position as the second-longest river in the world is highly disputed as the title has for long been granted to the Nile River in Egypt. The dispute arises from the determination of the origin of the Amazon. A recent 2014 study claims that the origin of the Amazon can be traced to the Cordillera Rumi Cruz.
3. The Yangtze River- 6300 Kms
The Yangtze River is the world’s third longest river and the longest to flow entirely within one country. It is also the longest river in Asia. The river basin of the Yangtze houses one-third of the population of the most populated country in the world i.e., China. Traditionally, the government of China recognizes the Tuotuo tributary located in the Tanggula Mountains as the source of the river. According to new data, however, the source of the Yangtze River is located in the Jari Hill from where the headwaters of the Dam Qu tributary originate. These tributaries, and more join to form the mighty Yangtze River which finally drains into the East China Sea at Shanghai.
4. The Mississippi River- 6275Kms
The river system comprising of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Jefferson rivers, is regarded as the world’s fourth longest river system. The river system drains 31 US states and 2 Canadian provinces. The Mississippi River begins in northern Minnesota where Lake Itasca is believed to be the source of the river and drains into the Gulf of Mexico. However, when we regarded the Jefferson River as the furthest source of the Mississippi River, then we get the Mississippi–Missouri–Jefferson river system.
5. The Yenisei River- 5539 Kms
This is the world’s fifth-longest river system and the largest draining into the Arctic Ocean. The Selenge River is regarded as the headwaters of this river system. The Selenge River is 992 km long and drains into Lake Baikal. The Angara river rises from Lake Baikal near Listvyanka and flows through the Irkutsk Oblast of Russia and finally joins the Yenisei River near Strelka. The Yenisei finally drains into the Arctic Ocean. The total length covered is 5,539 miles.
6. The Yellow River- 5464 Kms
Called the Yellow River for its color, it is the result of huge amounts of loose sediment in the water, this massive river is also known as the Huang He. Its basin is considered to be the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and it still holds great value for the country, both practically and symbolically.
7. The Ob-Irtysh River- 5410 Kms
The Ob-Irtysh, also known as the Ob River, represents one of the three great Siberian rivers, along with the Yenisei and the Lena. It extends from the Altas Mountains and flows into the Arctic Ocean.
8. The Parana River- 4880 Kms
Located in South America, the Parana River is one of the longest rivers in the world and the second-largest on the continent. Its name is an abbreviation of the Tupi expression para rehe onáva, which translates to “like the sea.”
9. The Congo River- 4700 Kms
Previously known as the Zaire River, the Congo stretches in a curve across the continent of Africa and has the distinction of being the only river to cross the equator twice. It’s also the deepest river on earth, with depths of over 700 feet in some places.
10. The Amur River- 4480 Kms
Extending along the border between northeastern China and Russia, the Amur River also known as the Heilong Jiang is the tenth longest river in the world. While the word amur is thought to originate from a term for “water,” the Chinese Heilong Jiang translates to “black dragon river.”