The rivers have played a significant role in shaping the course of history of the world. The largest rivers are where the earliest civilizations grew up and flourished. These rivers have witnessed many battles, both lost and won in the process of seeing empires fall and rise. The thousands of gallons of water piercing through the land and rushing towards the sea make up one of Nature’s most amazing creations. Here are the top ten largest rivers around the globe.
Length
Drainage area
The average discharge from the river
Nile River, North-East Africa
This river is the longest in the world. It travels 4,132 miles before it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. The mouth is in Egypt’s delta. Eleven countries share its water resources, including Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi. From Sudan, the river flows through the Sahara desert and discharges into Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the lifeblood of most Egyptians. A majority reside close to it. The Nile is responsible for about 10 % of all Africa. The Nile has two branches that are: the White Nile, which originates in Rwanda, and the Blue Nile, which originates from Ethiopia.
Amazon River, South America
Amazon boasts that it is the second longest river on Earth at 3,976 miles. It’s the second longest river in the world and is by far the largest in terms of waterflow, with an average discharge greater than the seven other largest rivers. It could represent at least one fifth of all flow in the world due to its dimensions. The Amazon flows through these countries: Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Guyana. This river is so powerful and huge that there isn’t a single point along the river that could be crossed with the use of a bridge. Amazon’s mouth can discharge as much as 8 trillion gallons per day. This river is about 150 deep!
Yangtze River, China
It is the longest river in Asia. The river flows for 3,915 miles beginning at Tibet Plateau in eastward across central, the southwest, and eastern China before emptying into East China at Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume anywhere in the world. The river drains one fifth of the land area of the China and its basin houses 1/3 of China’s population.
Mississippi Missouri Jefferson, North America
This is the main of the largest drainage systems in North America. It is a tributary of many rivers, and is the fourth-longest and 10th largest in the world. The Mississippi is primarily located in the United States (98.5%) and the rest in Canada (1.5 percent). It flows towards the Gulf of Mexico. It runs through the US. It begins its journey in northern Minnesota, and then slowly flows south for 2,340 mile to the Mississippi River Delta at Gulf of Mexico. It flows through the states of Arkansas, Minnesota, Lowa and Wisconsin.
Yenisei – Angara – Selenge, Asia
This is the biggest system of rivers that flows to the Arctic Ocean. It spans 3,445 miles. It is primarily located in Russia (97%) and the remainder in Mongolia. This is the most famous of the three great Siberian rivers which flow into the Arctic Ocean. It is the biggest river system which flows into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mongolia, the river follows a northerly course to the Yenisei Gulf in Kara Sea, draining a huge part of the central Siberia, the longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider River system.
Yellow River, China
At 3,395 miles, the Yellow River is Asia’s third longest river and the sixth longest river worldwide. It originates in the western part of China’s Bayan Har Mountain. It is also called Huang He. The river runs through nine provinces and then is drained into the Bohai Sea, near Dongying in Shandong. The river basin has an east-west length of around 1,180 miles, and a north-south area of 680 miles. The basin’s total area is approximately 742,442 square kilometers.
Ob Ob Irtysh, Asia
This river is the 7th longest in the world and is located in western Siberia. The river is 3,395 miles long and has a drainage area measuring 2,990,000.000 square kilometers. The river discharges an average of 12,475 cubic metres per second. It flows in the following countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia. It lies 16 miles southwest from Biysk, Altai Krai, at the confluence of the Katun-Biya and Biya rivers.
Parana – Rio de la Plata, South America
It is situated in South Central South America and has an area of 3,030 miles. It flows through Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay. It is second only to the Amazon River in terms of length among South American rivers. It’s also one of the biggest rivers on earth with a drainage area of 2,582,672 Square kilometers and an average discharge of 17,290 cubic meter per second.
Congo – Chambeshi, Africa
It is the world’s deepest river, with depths of more than 220m (720ft). The longest river in the world at 2,920 miles. This makes it the 9th longest. It has a total area of 4 014,500 sq km. It is the third largest by amount of water released. The river and its tributaries flows through Congo rainforest, which is the second largest rainforest on earth following Amazon Rainforest.
Amur – Argun, Asia
The Amur River is the world’s 10th longest river. It is 2,763 miles long. This river forms the boundary between Northeastern China and Russia Far East. At 994 feet, Amur is high up in the hills of Western Manchuria, at the confluence of its two major affluents, Shilka River or Eugene River. It flows to the east, creating a border with Russia and China. River slowly turns to the southeast for about 250 miles, passing through numerous small towns and receiving numerous tributaries.
Trevin Chung 
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