Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World
River is a water body which mostly joins the ocean. As it is an active water body, that is the water is flowing and a not stagnant, it has a huge amount of flora and fauna. It forms the basis of various food chains. Rivers have been always considered as a holy place. Millions of people actively and passively depend on the river.
There are thousands of settlements living on the banks of river and they constantly depended on it for their livelihood. Rivers play a vital role in each and every one’s life as it is the source of water for drinking, bathing washing, etc. It also benefits the commercial sector as well like tanning industries, brewing industries, and bottling plants. It helps a great deal for the farmers who constantly depend on this source of irrigation for the agriculture as well as their life stock. Here’s the list of the longest rivers in the world.
The list of Top 10 Longest Rivers in The World:
10. Congo River
Number 10 on this list is the Congo River. It is also known as Zaire River. This Mighty River is located in Africa and it is the second largest river in the world in terms of water discharged after amazon. This river flows through many states and it opens up finally into the Atlantic Ocean. Not only is that it also the world’s deepest river measuring about 220 metres in depth. The Congo River has a lot of economic importance as it is the trade route for many ships and also trains. there are numerous Railway bridges passing through this river as a good number of ships use this river as a trade route for transportation of sugar , coffee , cotton, etc. the Congo river is the main source of living for the mbandak people. It also generates a lot of power as there are 40 hydroelectric power plants in its basin . the total length of this river is around 4700 kilometres making it 10th in this list.
9. Irtysh River
Located in Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, this river has it origin from the Atlas Mountains in China. The Irtysh River opens to the Ob River. This river is very important for the economy as it serves as a passageway for the navigation of tankers as well as passenger and freight boats the month of April and October since this is the season where there is no ice. not only that, the part of the river In Kazakhstan has three main hydroelectric power plants and similarly , China has 3 dams in its section of the river contributing a significant amount to the power sector .this river is 2758 miles long thus making it number 9 in the list of top 10 longest rivers 2018.
8. Paraná River
Number 8 on this list is the famous Parana River. The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through 3 main countries which are Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. It opens up into the part of Atlantic Ocean present in Argentina. This river is very important for these three countries as its tributaries are a very important source of income for the fisherman. Not only that the fishes found here is heavily exploited for the consumption inside the nation as well as exportation. The Delta of this river is a must visit for all the bird lovers. Since this river is deep, it contains many ports and it’s a very important passageway to many cities. Paraguay exports most of its hydroelectric power from the dam constructed along this river.
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7. Ob River
Flowing through the country Russia and its source being Katun River, the Ob River is the seventh longest river in the world. Length of OB Rivers is 3650 kilometre. This river opens into the gulf of Ob. interestingly the gulf of Ob is the world’s longest estuary. This river is the primary source of water for irrigation and even for domestic and commercial purposes. Not only that, this river has many hydroelectric power plants and also has a wide variety of fishes for fishing.
6. Yellow River
Number 6 on this list is the famous Yellow river which flows through China. Its source is in the Bayan Har Mountains and it opens to into the Bohai Sea, in Shandong. This famous river is said to be the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization. This river was once a very important river for the Chinese but sadly it has been polluted to such an extent that one third of the river has been declared as level five which means that the water cannot be used for any purposes what so ever. This river is infamous for its floods and the major calamities it causes. Interesting, a good number of dams have been built on this river with the oldest being Sanmenxia dam built in 1960 and the most recent being mandang dam. This river has a length of 5464 km.
5. Yenisei River
The Yenisei River is on number 5 on this list. This river flows through Mongolia and Russia, its source being Mungaragiyn Gol. It opens in to Yenisei gulf. This river is the largest river system flowing in the Arctic Ocean and has a depth of 24 metres. This river is ecologically very important as its basin is home to 55 native fish species. The Faimyr reindeer herd, the largest reindeer herd in the world grazes along the banks of this river during winters.
4. Mississippi – Missouri River
Mississippi river is on number 4 on this list. The combination of Mississippi River and Missouri River originated from USA. The river’s primary source is hell roaring Creek which is a tributary of Jefferson River. An interesting fact is that this river is the longest river in North America. It played a major role in the development of the country in terms of economic growth. This river is a home to many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which play a vital role.
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3. Yangtze River
This river has a total Length of 6,300 km thus making it number 3 on this list. The Yangtze River flows through China. This river has its source from Geladaindong Peak. It plays a major role in terms of economic as well as ecological uses. The Yangtze River is responsible for 20% of PRC GDP. This river is home to many endemic as well as endangered animals. Some such endemic species are Chinese alligator, finless porpoise. World’s largest hydroelectric power station The Gorges dam is built on the Yangtze River.
2. Amazon River
Number 2 on this list is non-other than the famous Amazon River. Its source is Rio Mantaro and opens into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River flows through Peru Colombia Brazil and Ecuador this river is the largest river in the world in terms of water discharge. The Amazon rainforest is a home to more than one third of all the known species in the world. Some species which are endemic to the Amazon rainforest is Amazon River Dolphin which is the largest species of dolphins in the world and also snakes such as Anaconda, reptiles such as caiman, fishes such as characins. This river is 6,992 km long.
1. Nile River
Making it to number 1 on this list of world’s longest river is Nile River. Nile River shares its water resources with 11 countries such as Tanzania, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. The Nile River has two sources being White Nile and Blue Nile. The primary countries which use Nile River are Egypt and Sudan. This river bank is home to one of the world’s largest civilisation in the world.
This is the list of Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World. Water is a very precious element and it needs to be conserved. The day to day activities harm these water sources and hence care should be taken so that we can keep these water sources clean for future generations.
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