Determining the precise length of a river is a difficult task, but the approximate length is still 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
- RÃo 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 northward 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, and Uganda (11 countries)
- Mouth: Mediterranean Sea
- Discharge: 2,800 m3/s
2. Amazon
The 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). The Amazon is the largest river in the world by discharge. Originating from the mountains of Peru, the Amazon flows eastward through the Amazon rainforests and discharges into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Length: 6,400 km (3,977 miles)
- Countries: Brazil, Colombia, and 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
(Also read: Highest mountains in the world – the eight-thousanders)
4. Mississippi-Missouri
- Length: 6,275 km (3,899 miles)
- Countries: USA
- Mouth: Gulf of Mexico
- Discharge: 16,200 m3/s
5. Yenisei-Angara
- Length: 5.539 km (3,442 miles)
- Countries: Mongolia and Russia
- Mouth: Kara Sea
- Discharge: 19,600 m3/s
6. Yellow
- Length: 5,464 km (3,395 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, and Russia
- Mouth: Gulf of Ob
- Discharge: 12,800 m3/s
8. RÃo de la Plata-Paraná
- Length: 4,880 km (3,032 miles)
- Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay
- Mouth: RÃo de la Plata
- Discharge: 18,000 m3/s
9. Congo
- Length: 4,700 km (2,920 miles)
- Countries: Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 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, and 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, and 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: 4,180Â km (2,597 miles)
- Countries: Benin, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria
- Mouth: Gulf of Guinea
- Discharge: 9,570 m3/s
15. Brahmaputra-Tsangpo
- Length: 3,848 km (2,391 miles)
- Countries: Bangladesh, China, and 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.)