Determining the precise length of a river is a difficult task, still, the approximate length is calculated and published as official data. This article lists the top 15 longest rivers in the world. Let’s read.
Top 15 longest rivers in the World
- Nile
- Amazon
- Yangtze
- Mississippi-Missouri
- Yenisei-Angara
- Yellow
- Ob-Irtysh
- Río de la Plata-Paraná
- Congo
- Amur-Argun-Kherlen
- Lena
- Mekong
- Mackenzie-Slave-Peace-Finlay
- Niger
- Brahmaputra-Tsangpo
1. Nile
The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The river has a length of about 6,650 kilometers (4,132 miles). The major source of water in Northeast African countries, the Nile river flows Northwards and discharges into the Mediterranean Sea.
- Length: 6,650 km (4,132 miles)
- Countries: Burundi, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda (11 countries)
- Mouth: Mediterranean sea
- Discharge: 2,800 m3/s
2. Amazon
Amazon is the second-longest river in the world and the longest river in South America. It has a length of about 6,400 kilometers (3,977 miles). Amazon is the largest river in the world by discharge. Originating from the mountains of Peru, Amazon flows eastwards through the Amazon rainforests and discharges into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Length: 6,400 km (3,977 miles)
- Countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru
- Mouth: Atlantic ocean
- Discharge: 209,000 m3/s
3. Yangtze
The Yangtze River is the third-longest river in the world and the longest river in Asia. The river has a length of about 6,300 km (3,915 miles).
- Length: 6,300 km (3,915 miles)
- Countries: China
- Mouth: East China sea
- Discharge: 31,900 m3/s
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4. Mississippi-Missouri
- Length: 6,275 km (3899 miles)
- Countries: USA
- Mouth: Gulf of Mexico
- Discharge: 16,200 m3/s
5. Yenisei-Angara
- Length: 5.539 km (3442 miles)
- Countries: Mongolia, Russia
- Mouth: Kara Sea
- Discharge: 19,600 m3/s
6. Yellow
- Length: 5,464 km (3395 miles)
- Countries: China
- Mouth: Bohai Sea
- Discharge: 2,110 m3/s
7. Ob-Irtysh
- Length: 5,410 km (3,362 miles)
- Countries: China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia
- Mouth: Gulf of Ob
- Discharge: 12,800 m3/s
8. Río de la Plata-Paraná
- Length: 4,880 km (3,032 miles)
- Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
- Mouth: Río de la Plata
- Discharge: 18,000 m3/s
9. Congo
- Length:4,700 km (2,920 miles)
- Countries: Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo
- Mouth: Atlantic ocean
- Discharge: 41,800 m3/s
10. Amur-Argun-Kherlen
- Length:4,444 km (2,761 miles)
- Countries: China, Mongolia, Russia
- Mouth: Sea of Okhotsk
- Discharge: 11,400 m3/s
11. Lena
- Length: 4,400 km (2,734 miles)
- Countries: Russia
- Mouth: Laptev sea
- Discharge: 17,100 m3/s
12. Mekong
- Length: 4,350 km (2,703 miles)
- Countries: China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
- Mouth: South China sea
- Discharge: 16,000 m3/s
13. Mackenzie-Slave-Peace-Finlay
- Length: 4,241 km (2,635 miles)
- Countries: Canada
- Mouth: Beaufort Sea
- Discharge: 10,300 m3/s
14. Niger
- Length: 4,180 km (2,597 miles)
- Countries: Benin, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
- Mouth: Gulf of Guinea
- Discharge: 9,570 m3/s
15. Brahmaputra-Tsangpo
- Length: 3,848 km (2,391 miles)
- Countries: Bangladesh, China, India,
- Mouth: Ganges(Ganga)
- Discharge: 19,800 m3/s
(Note: This list of the top 15 longest rivers in the world contains some river systems so as to rank the length from the farthest point of origin to the mouth. Sometimes the length from the origin of a tributary to the mouth is greater than the length from the origin of the main river to the mouth.)