Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World

One of the most beautiful world naturals is water and it comes in different dimensions such as the Oceans, Seas, Rivers, and Lakes. Although it is challenging to determine the longest river(s) in the world due to the various and diverse uniqueness in lengths of these rivers, some researchers didn’t relent and they were able to come up with a list. This explains how RNN has come about compiling a list of the top 10 longest rivers in the world alongside locations, lengths, and so on.

As earlier stated that it is challenging to determine the longest river, the fact is, the length measurements of many rivers are only approximants. This means some rivers do not have their original or exact measurements but just approximants due to the complexity of measuring. Also, the source of a river may be hard to determine because a river normally has many side streams. Thus, the source that is farthest from the mouth amongst the many sources is considered the source of the river and then gives a maximal river length. But note, just as stated earlier, it is hard to state exactly where a river begins as rivers are often formed by seasonal streams, swamps, or even changing lakes.

Furthermore, the mouth of a river might be hard to determine especially in cases where the river has a large delta that slowly opens into the ocean. In other words, some rivers do not have mouths but evaporate instead, causing the exact point where the river ends will change seasonally. Below is a compiled list of the top 10 longest rivers in the world.

Longest Rivers in the World

1. Nile – 6650 Km

River Nile is considered the longest river in the world and also in Africa, with its length approximated at 6650 km. The river is formed by the combination of its two principal tributaries which are the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The Nile drainage basin is about 3,349,000 sq. km which includes portions of 11 African Nations such as Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Republic of Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

2. Amazon – 6575 Km

The Amazon river is one of the longest rivers in the world with its length approximately calculated at 6575 km. It drains into the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Brazilian city of Belem. The Amazon River Basin covers about 7,050,000 sq. km, and its entire watershed spans the South American nations of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, and Venezuela. Also, it is the largest in South America, having filled the second spot as one of the longest rivers in the world.

3. Yangtze (Chang Jiang) – 6300 Km

The Yangtze river is the world’s third longest river, also the longest in china and the continent of Asia. It flows through eleven Chinese provinces and it is also the world’s seventh-largest river in terms of discharge volume (30,166 cubic meters per second).

4. Mississippi – Missouri – 6275 Km

The Mississippi-Missouri is considered the fourth-longest river in the world. It is North America’s second-longest river, measuring 3,770km from its origin in Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico’s Mississippi River Delta. The Mississippi is no doubt one of the biggest and most popular rivers in the world.

5. Yenisei – Angara – Selenga – 5539 Km

The Yenisey-Angara-Selenga is considered the world’s fifth-longest river and the largest that empties into the Arctic Ocean. It is said to be approximately calculated at 5539 km. The Yenisey River originates in Mongolia’s Mungaragiyn-gol and flows northward through a large portion of Siberia before draining through the Yenisei Gulf into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean.

6. Yellow River – 5464 Km

The Yellow River is the world’s sixth-longest river and China’s second-longest after the Yangtze. It originates from the Bayan Har Mountains close to the eastern tip of the Qinghai province’s Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. And flows across the vast North China Plain before emptying into the Gulf of Bohai. The Yellow River Basin drains an area of 752,546 sq. km flowing through seven Chinese provinces and two autonomous regions and its length is approximately 5464 km.

7. Ob’ – Irtysh – 5410 Km

The Ob-Irtysh is the world’s seventh-longest river at 5410 km. The Ob River rises at the meeting point of the Biya and Katun rivers in the Altai Mountains. The river ultimately drains via the Gulf of Ob into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean. The combined Ob-Irtysh River system drains an area of 2,990,000 sq. km.

8. Parana River – 4880 Km

The Paran is considered the world’s eighth-longest river at 4880 km. It originates at the meeting point of the the Rio Grande and Paranaiba rivers in the southern part of Brazil. The river then joins the Paraguay River and the Uruguay River and forms the Rio de la Plata River, which finally drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The Rio de La Plata-Parana-Rio (as it is fully called) Grande River system drains an area of 2,582,672 sq. km.

9. Congo River – 4700 Km

The Congo is ranked the world’s ninth-longest river, Africa’s second-longest river, and the world’s second-largest river in terms of discharge volume. The Congo Basin drains an area of 4,000,000 sq. km accounting for about 13% of the entire landmass of the African continent and covers portions of nine African nations, including Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

10. Amur River- 4480 Km

The Amur-Argun-Kherlen (as it is fully called) is the world’s tenth longest river at 4480 km. It is also referred to as Heilong Jiang and it originates at the meeting point of the Argun and Shilka Rivers in the western portion of Northeast China. The river forms a boundary between Southeast Siberia and Northeastern China. The Amur River drains an area of 1,855,000 sq. km and has an average discharge volume of 11,400 cubic meters per second.

Longest Rivers in the World

Below is a summary of the list of the longest rivers in the world and their length in kilometers (km).

• Nile – 6650 Km
• Amazon – 6575 Km
• Yangtze (Chang Jiang) – 6300 Km
• Mississippi – Missouri – 6275 Km
• Yenisei – Angara – Selenga – 5539 Km
• Yellow River – 5464 Km
• Ob’ – Irtysh – 5410 Km
• Parana River – 4880 Km
• Congo – 4700 Km
• Amur – 4480 Km