What rivers are there

Ever wonder what rivers are the longest? Look at the graphic below to see our short list of long rivers. It's not so easy to define how long a river is. If a number of tributaries merge to form a larger river, how would you define where the river actually begins? Here is how we are defining river length:. River lengths or river-length data are affected not only by some of the natural and artificial causes noted in the preceding paragraph, but also by the precision of various techniques of measurement, by the scale of available maps or aerial photographs, and by somewhat arbitrary decisions.

For example, the length may be considered to be the distance from the mouth to the most distant headwater source irrespective of stream name or from the mouth to the headwaters of the stream commonly identified as the source stream.

The names of some rivers, such as the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande, are unchanged from source to mouth. In contrast, the name of the source of the Mobile River—Tickanetley Creek—changes five times before becoming Mobile River 45 miles north of Mobile Bay. Source: Kammerer, J. Skip to main content. Search Search. They range from small streams and wetlands to large waterways.

No two of these rivers are the same. Each river is unique to its landscape, winding through low foothills and valleys, rushing clear and cold from mountain forests, or sweeping warm and muddy down desert canyons. A tributary is a river that feeds into another river, rather than ending in a lake, pond, or ocean.

The beginning of a river is called its headwaters. Some headwaters are springs that come from under the ground. Others are marshy areas fed by mountain snow. What happens in the headwaters is very important to the health of the whole river, because anything that happens upstream affects everything downstream.

The shape of a river channel depends on how much water has been flowing in it for how long, over what kinds of soil or rock, and through what vegetation. There are many different kinds of river channels — some are wide and constantly changing, some crisscross like a braid, and others stay in one main channel between steep banks. Each kind of river channel has unique benefits to the environment. In the West, these riverside areas provide habitat for more bird species than all other vegetation combined.

It has long been considered a holy river by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals have been located on its banks. Situated on the banks of Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the holiest city in Hinduism.

Hindus scatter ashes of loved ones in the river and some believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in the Ganges at least once. The river was one of the long standing frontiers of the Roman Empire and today forms a part of the borders of 10 European countries.

It originates in the Black Forest in Germany and flows eastwards for a distance of some km miles , passing through 4 capitals, before emptying into the Black Sea. Since the completion of the German Rhine—Main—Danube Canal in , the river has been part of a trans-European waterway from the black sea all the way to Rotterdam on the North Sea.

One of the most important rivers in the world, the Yangtze River is the longest river in China, and the third-longest in the world. The river is about km long miles and originates in a glacier lying on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau.

It passes through the spectacular Yangtze Gorges, which are noted for their natural beauty, and flows into the East China Sea. One of the dams on the river, the Three Gorges Dam, is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world. Traffic includes commercial traffic transporting bulk goods such as coal as well as manufactured goods and passengers.

River cruises several days long, especially through the beautiful and scenic Three Gorges area, are also popular.

The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for 6, km 4, miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. The river provided a crucial role in the development of the Egyptian civilization.

Silt deposits from the Nile makes the surrounding land extremely fertile because the river overflows its banks annually and the Egyptians were able to cultivate wheat and other crops. The Nile was also an important part of the ancient Egyptian spiritual life.