Rivers
The world's great rivers
230 rivers, each with its own page: where it rises, where it flows and what makes it special.
- Nile 6 650 km The Nile flows north across north-east Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, gathering water from eleven African countries on the way.
- Amazon 6 400 km The Amazon carries more water than any other river on Earth, winding through the world's largest rainforest in South America.
- Yangtze 6 300 km The Yangtze is Asia's longest river, flowing entirely within China from icy Tibetan mountains to the busy port of Shanghai.
- Yenisei 5 539 km The Yenisei flows north through Siberia in Russia, splitting the vast region roughly in half before pouring into the icy Arctic Ocean.
- Yellow River (Huang He) 5 464 km Known as China's Sorrow, the Yellow River carries more mud and sand than almost any river on Earth, turning its water a yellow-brown colour.
- Ob 5 410 km The Ob River winds across the flat plains of western Siberia in Russia, one of the longest rivers in Asia.
- Paraná 4 880 km The Paraná River flows through the heart of South America, linking Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
- Congo 4 700 km The Congo River winds through the vast rainforests of central Africa and is the deepest river in the world.
- Mekong 4 350 km The Mekong River flows through six countries in Asia, from the icy Tibetan Plateau to the tropical Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
- Lena 4 294 km The Lena River flows entirely within Russia and is the longest river in the country.
- Irtysh 4 248 km The Irtysh is the longest river connected with Kazakhstan.
- Mackenzie 4 241 km The Mackenzie River is Canada's longest river, flowing through remote northern wilderness to the Arctic Ocean.
- Niger 4 200 km The Niger River loops in a strange boomerang shape through West Africa, flowing toward the Sahara Desert before turning back to the sea.
- Missouri River 3 767 km The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States and begins high in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.
- Mississippi 3 766 km The Mississippi River flows through the heart of the United States, from small streams in Minnesota down to the warm Gulf of Mexico.
- White Nile 3 700 km White Nile is the great river of South Sudan, in the north-east of Africa.
- Volga 3 531 km The Volga is Europe's longest river, flowing entirely within Russia from quiet hills to the salty Caspian Sea.
- Salween 3 289 km The Salween is one of the longest rivers in Southeast Asia.
- Purus 3 211 km The Purus is a long river in the Amazon rainforest that starts in Peru and flows through Brazil.
- Yukon 3 190 km The Yukon is one of the longest rivers in North America.
- Indus 3 180 km The Indus River gave its name to India and to one of the world's oldest civilisations, which grew along its banks about 4 500 years ago.
- Rio Grande 3 108 km Rio Grande is the longest river of Mexico and also marks a long border.
- Brahmaputra 2 900 km The Brahmaputra begins near Mount Kailash in Tibet and flows through China, India and Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal.
- São Francisco 2 863 km The São Francisco is the largest river that flows entirely within Brazil.
- Danube 2 850 km The Danube flows through more countries than any other river in the world, linking capital cities across central and eastern Europe.
- Amur 2 824 km The Amur River forms a long natural border between Russia and China in northeastern Asia.
- Euphrates 2 800 km Euphrates is the longest river of Syria, in western Asia.
- Paraguay River 2 695 km The Paraguay River is the longest river of Paraguay.
- Vilyuy 2 650 km The Vilyuy is the longest tributary of the Lena in Siberia.
- Tocantins 2 640 km The Tocantins is a big river in Brazil that flows from south to north.
- Araguaia 2 627 km The Araguaia is a long river in the heart of Brazil.
- Zambezi 2 574 km Zambezi is the great river of southern Africa and the longest one in Mozambique.
- Ganges 2 525 km The Ganges is the longest river in India and the holiest river of the country.
- Murray 2 508 km The Murray River is Australia's longest river, flowing across the dry southeast of the continent to the Southern Ocean.
- Orange River 2 432 km The Orange River is the longest river of South Africa and of Lesotho, where its upper course is called Senqu.
- Ural River 2 428 km The Ural River flows from the Ural Mountains in Russia through Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea.
- Amu Darya 2 400 km Amu Darya is the great river of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
- Pearl River 2 400 km The Pearl River is China's third-longest river and the second largest by the amount of water it carries.
- Arkansas River 2 364 km The Arkansas River starts high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows across the Great Plains of the USA.
- Colorado River 2 330 km The Colorado River rises in the Rocky Mountains and flows through the southwest of the USA into Mexico.
- Irrawaddy 2 288 km Irrawaddy is the longest river of Myanmar, a country in South-East Asia.
- Aldan 2 273 km The Aldan is a long river in Yakutia, in eastern Siberia, Russia.
- Rio Negro (Amazon) 2 250 km The Rio Negro is the largest blackwater river in the world, with water that looks like strong tea.
- Syr Darya 2 212 km The Syr Darya flows through four countries in Central Asia.
- Dnieper 2 201 km The Dnieper is one of the longest rivers in Europe.
- Kasai 2 153 km The Kasai is the largest tributary of the Congo by the amount of water it brings.
- Orinoco 2 140 km The Orinoco is the great river of Venezuela and one of the mightiest in South America.
- Kolyma 2 129 km The Kolyma is a long river in the far north-east of Siberia, in Russia.
- Columbia River 2 000 km The Columbia River starts at Columbia Lake in British Columbia, Canada, and flows into the United States.
- Xingu 1 980 km The Xingu is a big clear-water river in Brazil.
- Mamoré 1 930 km Mamoré is the longest river of Bolivia.
- Songhua River 1 927 km The Songhua, also called the Sungari, is a big river in north-east China.
- Peace River 1 923 km The Peace River flows from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia across Alberta in Canada.
- Don 1 870 km The Don is one of the great rivers of European Russia.
- Tigris 1 850 km The Tigris is the longest river in Iraq and one of the two great rivers of Mesopotamia.
- Uruguay River 1 838 km The Uruguay River flows from the mountains of southern Brazil to the Río de la Plata.
- Shabelle 1 820 km Shabelle is the longest river of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa.
- Pechora 1 809 km The Pechora flows from the northern Ural Mountains through the Komi Republic in the far north of Russia.
- Kama 1 805 km The Kama is the largest tributary of the Volga.
- Angara 1 779 km The Angara is the only river that flows out of Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia.
- Ucayali River 1 771 km The Ucayali is the longest river in Peru.
- Limpopo 1 750 km The Limpopo flows in a great arc through southern Africa.
- Snake River 1 740 km The Snake River is the largest tributary of the Columbia River in the western United States.
- Marañón 1 737 km The Marañón is one of the main headwaters of the Amazon.
- Indigirka 1 726 km The Indigirka flows through Yakutia in the far north-east of Siberia, one of the coldest places on Earth.
- Okavango 1 600 km Okavango is the longest river connected with Botswana.
- Volta 1 600 km The Volta is the great river of Ghana, born where two smaller Voltas join and famous for the huge lake behind its dam.
- Tobol 1 591 km The Tobol is the main tributary of the Irtysh.
- Ohio River 1 579 km The Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh, where two rivers meet, and flows about 1 579 km to the Mississippi.
- Kafue 1 576 km The Kafue is the longest river that lies entirely within Zambia and gives its name to a famous national park.
- Magdalena River 1 528 km The Magdalena River is the longest river in Colombia.
- Kura 1 515 km Kura is the longest river of the South Caucasus and the most important river in Azerbaijan.
- Darling River 1 472 km The Darling River winds south-west across the dry west of New South Wales until it joins the Murray at Wentworth.
- Godavari 1 465 km The Godavari is the second-longest river in India, after the Ganges.
- Blue Nile 1 450 km The Blue Nile flows out of Lake Tana in the highlands of Ethiopia and rushes through a deep gorge into Sudan.
- Madeira River 1 450 km The Madeira is the largest tributary of the Amazon.
- Chari 1 400 km Chari is the longest river of Chad, in Central Africa.
- Benue 1 400 km The Benue is the largest tributary of the Niger in West Africa.
- Krishna 1 400 km The Krishna is one of the longest rivers in India.
- South Saskatchewan River 1 392 km The South Saskatchewan River is a prairie river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
- Fraser River 1 375 km The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada.
- Kızılırmak 1 355 km Kızılırmak is the longest river of Türkiye.
- Mouhoun (Black Volta) 1 352 km Mouhoun, also called the Black Volta, is the longest river of Burkina Faso.
- Dniester 1 352 km The Dniester rises in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine and flows south-east to the Black Sea near Odesa.
- Liao River 1 345 km The Liao River is the largest river in the south of north-eastern China.
- Narmada 1 312 km The Narmada is the longest river in India that flows west.
- North Saskatchewan River 1 287 km The North Saskatchewan River flows from the Rocky Mountains across the prairies of western Canada.
- Ottawa River 1 271 km The Ottawa River is the main side river of the St.
- Athabasca River 1 231 km The Athabasca River flows through the Canadian province of Alberta.
- Rhine 1 230 km The Rhine River flows from the Swiss Alps through several European countries to the North Sea, carrying more cargo ships than almost any other river on Earth.
- Vaal 1 210 km The Vaal is the largest tributary of the Orange River and flows entirely within South Africa.
- Awash River 1 200 km Awash River is the most important river of Ethiopia that never reaches the sea.
- Ogooué 1 200 km Ogooué is the great river of Gabon and the longest in the country.
- Helmand 1 150 km Helmand is the longest river in Afghanistan, rising in the Hindu Kush mountains and crossing the dry south-west of the country.
- Red River (Vietnam) 1 149 km The Red River starts in the mountains of Yunnan in China and flows south-east through northern Vietnam.
- Kapuas 1 143 km The Kapuas is the longest river in Indonesia and flows right across the island of Borneo.
- Napo River 1 130 km Napo River flows out of the Andes through the rainforest of eastern Ecuador and finally joins the mighty Amazon near Francisco de Orellana in Peru.
- Sepik 1 126 km The Sepik is the longest river of Papua New Guinea.
- Orkhon 1 124 km Orkhon is the longest river of Mongolia, a wide country of grass and mountains in eastern Asia.
- Gambia River 1 120 km The Gambia River gives its name to the country of Gambia, a narrow strip of land wrapped around the water.
- Colorado River (Argentina) 1 114 km The Río Colorado crosses the dry lands of northern Patagonia and the southern Pampas in Argentina.
- Draa 1 100 km Draa is the longest river of Morocco, a country in north-west Africa.
- Elbe 1 094 km The Elbe rises in the Giant Mountains of Czechia and flows north-west through Germany to the North Sea.
- Senegal 1 086 km Senegal is the long river that separates Mauritania from Senegal in West Africa.
- Karnali 1 080 km Karnali is the longest river of Nepal and comes from the high plateau of Tibet.
- Ubangi 1 060 km Ubangi is the longest river of the Central African Republic.
- Tennessee River 1 049 km The Tennessee River is the longest tributary of the Ohio River in the USA.
- Vistula (Wisła) 1 047 km The Vistula is the longest river in Poland.
- Daugava 1 020 km The Daugava, also called the Western Dvina, starts in the Valdai Hills in Russia.
- Essequibo 1 014 km The Essequibo is by far the longest river of Guyana and one of the biggest in northern South America.
- Tagus (Tejo) 1 007 km The Tagus is the longest river of the Iberian Peninsula and the longest river of Portugal.
- Loire 1 006 km Loire is the longest river in France.
- Tana 1 000 km The Tana is the longest river in Kenya.
- Sava 990 km The Sava is the longest river of both Slovenia and Croatia, and it links their capitals on the way.
- Tisza 966 km The Tisza is the longest river in Hungary, curving slowly across the wide plains of the east.
- Cuanza 960 km Cuanza is the longest river that flows entirely inside Angola.
- Prut 953 km Prut is the longest river connected with Moldova, a small country in eastern Europe.
- Karun 950 km The Karun is the longest river in Iran and the only one there big enough for boats.
- Meghna 946 km Meghna is the longest river of Bangladesh and part of a huge system fed by the Surma.
- Tanana River 940 km The Tanana is a big glacier river in the heart of Alaska.
- Neman 937 km Neman, known in Lithuania as the Nemunas, is the country's longest river.
- Ebro 930 km Ebro is the longest river that runs only through Spain.
- Meuse 925 km Meuse is the longest river of the Netherlands and starts far away in France.
- Panj 921 km Panj is the longest river of Tajikistan, high in the mountains of Central Asia.
- Barito 909 km The Barito is one of the big rivers on the island of Borneo in Indonesia.
- Douro 897 km The Douro is one of the great rivers of the Iberian Peninsula.
- Juba River 875 km The Juba is one of the most important rivers in Somalia.
- Oder 855 km The Oder begins in the mountains of Czechia, flows through Poland and forms part of the border between Poland and Germany.
- Mahanadi 851 km The Mahanadi flows from the hills of Chhattisgarh eastwards through Odisha to the Bay of Bengal.
- Río Coco 841 km Río Coco is the longest river of Nicaragua and of all Central America.
- Tapajós 840 km The Tapajós is a big river in the rainforest of Brazil.
- Rhône 813 km The Rhône starts at a glacier high in the Swiss Alps, flows through Lake Geneva and then crosses France towards the south.
- Naryn 807 km The Naryn is the longest river of Kyrgyzstan.
- Bandama 800 km Bandama is the longest river in Côte d'Ivoire.
- Río Negro 800 km The Río Negro is the longest river of Uruguay and cuts the country into a northern and a southern half.
- Amnok (Yalu) 790 km The Amnok, also called the Yalu, is the longest river of North Korea.
- Seine 777 km The Seine is the river of Paris and, after the Loire, one of the longest rivers in France.
- Chi 765 km Chi is the longest river that stays entirely inside Thailand.
- Ruvuma 760 km The Ruvuma, also called the Rovuma, starts east of Lake Malawi in southern Tanzania.
- Göta älv (Klarälven) 746 km Göta älv is the longest river system of Sweden.
- Northern Dvina 744 km The Northern Dvina is one of the most important rivers in the far north of European Russia.
- Chelif 725 km The Chelif is the longest river in Algeria.
- Courantyne River 724 km Courantyne River is the longest river of Suriname, a small country in South America.
- Drava 710 km The Drava is a large Alpine river and an important tributary of the Danube.
- Po 652 km Po is the longest river in Italy, flowing 652 kilometres from the Alps across the wide plain of northern Italy.
- Fish River 650 km Fish River is the longest river inside Namibia and crosses a very dry land.
- Nelson River 644 km The Nelson River carries the water of Lake Winnipeg north through the wild land of Manitoba to Hudson Bay.
- Barka River 640 km Barka River is the longest river of Eritrea.
- Sacramento River 640 km The Sacramento is the largest river in California.
- Río Negro (Argentina) 635 km The Río Negro is the main river of Patagonia in Argentina.
- Glomma 621 km Glomma is the longest river of Norway and flows from the mountains towards the south.
- Sanaga 603 km The Sanaga is the longest river in Cameroon.
- Rufiji 600 km Rufiji is the longest river of Tanzania in East Africa.
- San Joaquin River 589 km The San Joaquin River is the second-longest river in California.
- Đồng Nai 586 km The Đồng Nai is the longest river that flows only inside Vietnam.
- Garonne 575 km The Garonne starts high in the Pyrenees in Spain and then flows through south-west France.
- Rajang 565 km Rajang is the longest river of Malaysia and flows through the rainforest of Sarawak.
- Mangoky 564 km Mangoky is the longest river of Madagascar, the big island east of Africa.
- Corubal River 561 km The Corubal is the longest river of Guinea-Bissau and the wildest one too.
- Kemijoki 550 km Kemijoki is the longest river in Finland.
- Dalälven 542 km The Dalälven is one of the longest rivers in Sweden.
- Cavalla 515 km The Cavalla is the longest river of Liberia.
- Ouémé 510 km Ouémé is the longest river in Benin, a country in West Africa.
- Nakdong 510 km The Nakdong is the longest river in South Korea.
- Cagayan River 505 km The Cagayan River is the longest river in the Philippines.
- Patuca River 500 km The Patuca is the longest river of Honduras and the main road through its wildest region.
- Motagua River 487 km The Motagua is the longest river of Guatemala and crosses the whole country from the western mountains to the coast.
- Medjerda 460 km Medjerda is the longest river of Tunisia, in North Africa.
- Gauja 452 km Gauja is the longest river that stays inside Latvia.
- Loa River 440 km The Loa River is the longest river in Chile and the only large river in the Atacama Desert.
- Vltava 431 km The Vltava is the longest river in Czechia.
- Waikato 425 km Waikato is the longest river of New Zealand and begins on a snowy volcano.
- Lempa River 422 km Lempa River is the longest river of El Salvador, in Central America.
- Ruvubu 416 km Ruvubu is the longest river in Burundi, a small country in East Africa.
- Váh 403 km Váh is the longest river in Slovakia, in the middle of Europe.
- Shire 402 km Shire is the longest river of Malawi and carries the water of Lake Malawi southwards.
- Manas (Drangme Chhu) 400 km Manas is the longest river of Bhutan, a mountain kingdom in the Himalaya.
- Mono 400 km Mono is the longest river of Togo, a narrow country in West Africa.
- Vardar 388 km Vardar is the longest river of North Macedonia, a country without a coast in south-east Europe.
- Rokel River 386 km Rokel River is the longest river in Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa.
- Iskar 368 km Iskar is the longest river that lies completely inside Bulgaria.
- Shinano 367 km The Shinano is the longest river in Japan and crosses the main island from the mountains to the coast.
- Shannon 361 km The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and cuts the island almost in two.
- River Severn 354 km River Severn is the longest river in the United Kingdom.
- Nyabarongo 351 km The Nyabarongo is the longest river in Rwanda.
- Scheldt 350 km Scheldt is the most important river of Belgium.
- River Thames 346 km The Thames is the longest river that flows entirely in England.
- Cauto River 343 km The Cauto River is the longest river on the island of Cuba.
- Mahaweli 335 km The Mahaweli is the longest river of Sri Lanka.
- Artibonite River 321 km The Artibonite is the longest river of Haiti and of the whole island it shares.
- Aliakmonas 297 km The Aliakmonas is the longest river that stays inside Greece from beginning to end.
- Yaque del Norte 296 km The Yaque del Norte is the longest river in the Dominican Republic.
- Belize River 290 km Belize River is the longest river in Belize, a small country in Central America.
- Drin 285 km Drin is the longest river in Albania.
- Bosna 282 km Bosna is the longest river inside Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country that shares its name.
- Jordan River 251 km The Jordan River is the longest river in Israel and one of the best known rivers anywhere.
- Río Chucunaque 231 km Río Chucunaque is the longest river in Panama.
- Þjórsá 230 km The Þjórsá is the longest river in Iceland and carries milky meltwater from a great glacier.
- Belait 206 km Belait is the longest river in Brunei, a small country on the island of Borneo.
- Akhuryan 186 km Akhuryan is the longest river inside Armenia.
- Litani 174 km The Litani is the longest river of Lebanon.
- Sauer 173 km Sauer is the longest river of Luxembourg, a small country in western Europe.
- Rewa River 172 km Rewa River is the longest river of Fiji.
- Võhandu 166 km Võhandu is the longest river in Estonia.
- Térraba River 160 km The Térraba River is the longest river in Costa Rica.
- Gudenå 149 km The Gudenå is the longest river in Denmark.
- Tara 143 km Tara is the longest river of Montenegro, a small mountain country on the Balkan Peninsula.
- Loes 123 km Loes is the longest river of Timor-Leste, a small island country in South-East Asia.
- Mbokokimbo River 99 km The Mbokokimbo is a river on Guadalcanal, the main island of the Solomon Islands.
- Pedieos 98 km The Pedieos is the longest river in Cyprus.
- Rio Minho 93 km The Rio Minho is the longest river in Jamaica, even though it fits easily on one small island.
- Zarqa River 65 km The Zarqa River is the longest river in Jordan and one of the busiest waterways of the country.
- Ortoire 50 km Ortoire is the longest river of Trinidad and Tobago, a small island country in the Caribbean.
- Gran Valira 35 km Gran Valira is the longest river in Andorra, a tiny country high in the Pyrenees.
- Grand River South East 34 km Grand River South East is the longest river of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean.
- Layou River 28 km The Layou River is the longest river on the Caribbean island of Dominica.
- Goose River 24 km Goose River is counted as the longest river of the Bahamas.
- Vaisigano 12 km The Vaisigano is the main river of Samoa and flows through the capital, Apia, on the island of Upolu.
- Kallang River 10 km Kallang River is the longest river in Singapore, a small island country in Southeast Asia.
- San Marino River 9 km San Marino River is the main watercourse of tiny San Marino, a country inside Italy.
- Colonarie River 8 km The Colonarie River is the longest river of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small island country in the Caribbean.
- Great River Great River is counted as the longest river on the Caribbean island of Grenada.
- Mbini (Benito) The Mbini, also called Río Benito, is the main river of mainland Equatorial Guinea.
- Wingfield River The Wingfield River is counted as the longest watercourse of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
- Roseau River The Roseau River is counted as the longest river of Saint Lucia.
- Ngermeskang River The Ngermeskang is a river in Palau.
- Io Grande Io Grande is counted as the longest river of São Tomé and Príncipe, an island country in Africa.
- Great Usutu Great Usutu is the main river of Eswatini, a small kingdom in southern Africa.
- Sarakata The Sarakata is the best known river of Vanuatu and flows on the island of Espiritu Santo.
- Wadi Hadramaut The Wadi Hadramaut is the longest valley river of Yemen and cuts deep into the dry highlands.
How these rivers were chosen
These are the rivers that shaped where people settled. Some are here because they are the longest, some because a civilisation grew up along them, and some because they carry more water than any other even though they are not the longest. Every continent that has great rivers is represented, which matters more than filling the list with the 230 longest.
A river's length is less settled than it looks. Rivers begin as many small streams, and choosing a different stream as the true source moves the total by hundreds of kilometres — which is exactly why the Nile and the Amazon still argue about which is longest. Where a figure is disputed, the page for that river says so, and gives both.
Every one of them stands on the globe
These pages are not only a list: every entry here has a place on the spinning globe, at its real coordinates. From far away the planet is a plain blue ball — detail only arrives as you zoom in, and then each of these is standing exactly where it belongs.
It works the other way round too: whatever you click on the globe opens its page, and every page links back to that exact spot on the globe. You can wander from a map into a text and back again without ever using the search box.