A guide to the ten largest rivers of the world
While most of you know the significance of rivers, and how it was crucial for the human civilization, most of you are probably not acquainted with some of the largest rivers in the world. We have compiled a list of the ten largest rivers in the world. And since it's summer, with most of you giving in to the heat, and looking like burnt toasts, what better way to chill than to read about rivers, right?
1. The Amazon River: With its monstrous discharge volume which is the largest in the world, the Amazon river tops our list. An average discharge volume of 209,000 m³/s is pretty impressive, don't you think? Flowing from the Andes, which marks the beginning of its long journey, this river in South America is more than 6,600 km long, and has more than 1,100 tributaries!
2. The Nile: While the Nile is the longest river in the world, and covers during its course an unbelievable 6,853 km, we placed it second because of its average discharge, which is 2,830 m³/s. The Nile, with its past, and close association with the ancient Egyptian civilization, continues to be mighty, and its drainage basin covers 11 countries! It has two major tributaries, the White Nile, and the Blue Nile.
3. Yangtze River: Flowing to the East China Sea, the magnificent Yangtze river, which is the longest river in Asia, and third largest in the world, is also the home to finless porpoises! It is 6,300 km in length, with an average discharge of 30,160 m³/s. While Yangtze is not the longest river, it is the longest to flow across one whole country! How cool is that?
4. Mississippi River: The end of the Revolutionary War, and the beginning of America's independence was officially recognized after the Treaty of Paris in 1783, where the Mississippi was designated as its western border. No wonder the Mississippi is such an integral part of American culture. With its average discharge of 16,800 m³/s, and a length which spans 6,275 km, it is the second longest river of North America (yes, the continent)!
5. Yenisei River: The Yenisei rises in Mongolia, gracefully taking a northerly course to the Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea. Its enviable length, which is 5,539 km, makes it the fifth longest in the world, infact the longest river system to flow into the Arctic Ocean! It has an average discharge of 19,600 m³/s, and the basin also houses 55 native species of fish.
6. Yellow River: The death and destruction brought about when the Yellow river runs amok, earned it the name China's sorrow. It is an important river crucial to Chinese civilization, the second longest in China, as it covers nine provinces, and empties itself into the Bohai sea. Its estimated length is 5,464 km, and average discharge amounts to 2,571 m³/s.
7. Ob river: While Ob claims the seventh position in our list, it must also be mentioned that it has the longest estuary in the world! This river, which stretches the longest in Russia, has its origin in the Altay mountains, and happens to be the seventh longest in the world, flowing 5,410 km. Its average discharge is 12,475 m³/s.
8. Parana River: This river is 4,880 km in length, and has an annual discharge of 17,290 m³/s. This beautiful river flows through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Its location is in south Central South America, and while that seems really like a lot of directions lumped together, here's a really interesting fact about its name- Parana is actually an abbreviation of para rehe onáva, which translates to "like the sea" in Tupi language. Isn't it poetic?
9. Congo river: Along with its tributaries, the Congo flows through the rainforest of the same name, expanding a long 4,700 km. There are two facts about this river which makes it really interesting. The first is that it was formerly known as the Zaire. The second fact is that it's discharge system is massive, and is the second largest in the world, with an average of 41,000 m³/s! Apart from that, this river in Africa is also the deepest in the world!
10. Amur river: While this river forms a border, separating the Russian Far East and Northeastern China, it is the Chinese which gave it a name worthy of its grandeur. Called Heilong Jiang, or the Black Dragon River, the Amur is 4,444 km in length, and flows east, running from the hills in the western part of Northeast China. Its average discharge is 11,400 m³/s.
We won't mind if you memorize this list. After all, knowledge should also flow like a river, don't you think?
Post Written by - Lopamudra
Post Written by - Lopamudra
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