The longest rivers in the world table location. The longest river in the world is the Amazon

Hello everyone! Both for young schoolchildren and their parents. How are you? How are your studies? I dare to hope that everything is fine with you, that your grades are pleasing, and that studying school disciplines gives pleasure. Especially as interesting as the world around us.

I remember there was a similar item in our school years, and it was called natural history. It used to be that the teacher would call to the board, hand him a pointer and ask him to show on a huge map, dotted with different colors of the rainbow, some tiny river, which was difficult to find.

But to the teacher’s question “What is the most long river in the world?" Only everyone knew the answer, even the avid losers. Since school, we have learned by heart that this is the Nile. However! This fact is disputed today; it has been proven that it is not at all a sacred African river that is worthy of an honorary pedestal. So what then and why suddenly?

We need to figure this out! Do you mind? Moreover, the information obtained can be useful in preparing your research projects about the longest rivers on the planet.

Lesson plan:

Science has dotted all the i's

Oh, this science and its super smart devices! In 2005, Brazilian experts still wanted to be ahead of the rest and, with the help of space satellites, recalculated the length of the river flowing through their country, moving the great Nile one stage. According to modern research The Amazon is the longest river in the world!

Why did this happen, and who made a mistake and when? In fact, there is no mistake here. The Nile lost the palm to the Amazon for two reasons:

built on African river The Aswan Dam reduced the size of the Nile reservoir,
A new source was discovered near a South American river, from which it began to measure its length.

As a result, the Amazon took the leading position, setting a record of 6992 kilometers.

However, according to some fans of the South American river, if you count its path from a tributary called the Ucayali, then the figures may well exceed 7 thousand.

What's good about Amazon?

The longest river on the planet originates at the foot of the Andes mountains and rushes to the Atlantic Ocean, crossing Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador on its way.

It is called the “fresh sea”, because in some places where it flows, the river reaches a width of up to 40 kilometers, therefore, like the sea, its opposite shore is not visible.

The depth of the Amazon ranges from 50 - 80 meters in spacious places and up to 130 meters in narrow ones. The greatest depth is 135 meters. The location of the river parallel to the equator makes it dependent on the season of both hemispheres at the same time, therefore, with the arrival of rains, the water level rises in both its left and right tributaries.

For this reason, the life of the Amazon has been compared to a pulsating giant heart. Rising now to 9, then to 12, and sometimes to 20 meters, the river becomes even wider and more powerful - the area it occupies triples, reaching a size comparable to England.

The river is filled with many tributaries, and if you add them all into one line, the total length will be more than 25,000 kilometers.

The Amazon is the most water-bearing in the world, its water basin covers an area of more than 7 million square kilometers, carrying Atlantic Ocean a fifth fresh water the entire planet.

To give an example, we can say that in 30 seconds the river could give every resident globe one liter of freshwater.

A powerful water flow, when erupting into ocean waters, displaces them and changes their color and composition over a distance of about 300 kilometers.

Who lives in the Amazon?

The shores of the Amazon are covered with wet tropical forest. The largest river flows through one of the most distant regions of our planet, but moreover, almost 7 million people live there, adapting to its rules - residents of villages and citizens of megacities.

Aggressive tribes with bows and arrows have also survived here. In the dense tropics there are those who are not ready to communicate with civilization. However, basically, the majority leads a normal lifestyle, content with what the Amazon gives them. They go to work and school, run their own businesses, and wear modern clothes.

The Amazon is called the “royal river” because of the beauty and richness of its flora and fauna.

Just imagine that for every 10 square kilometers of the tropics in the Amazon, there are 1,500 species of flowers, 750 species of trees, 125 different mammals and 400 different birds.

So, among the palm leaves and vines here you can easily find anacondas and jaguars hiding in anticipation of prey.

Tapirs, monkeys, and the largest rodents weighing up to 50 kilograms, similar to guinea pigs, called capybaras.

IN troubled waters The rivers are home to about 2,000 species of fish: stingrays and river sharks, popular aquarium guppies, angelfish and swordtails, and, of course, piranhas.

Traveling along the surface of the Amazon, you can meet two types of dolphins, giant otters up to 2 meters in size and huge turtles with shells about 3 meters in diameter. A lot of caimans, reptiles from the crocodile family, live here.

In general, if you want to see the variety of animal and flora, go to the Amazon!

Do you know where the river got its name? There is a version according to which the Spaniards gave this name. They were greatly amazed by the belligerence of the Indian women living on the banks of the river, whom they encountered during their journey in 1541.
These warriors were similar to the ancient Greek heroines - the Amazons, which is where the name came from.
Amazonian tropics, total area of which more than 6 million square kilometers are truly considered the “lungs of the planet.”
In the river basin there is a giant water lily, which was named after the English Queen Victoria. Its leaf can support up to 50 kilograms. The plant blooms once a year, blooming for 2-3 days at night, and at dawn hiding its white petals under water.
In the waters of the Amazon there is an eel, which you can catch in the usual way impossible - it delivers electrical discharges with a voltage of more than 500 volts.
Local residents for catching valuable fish First, livestock is driven into the water, on which the eels spend their energy. After this, they can be caught with bare hands.
The longest river in the world has a twin sister - underground river, named after the scientist Hamza who discovered it, which flows parallel at a depth of 4 kilometers and extends over more than 6,000 kilometers.
One of the most dangerous living creatures lives on the banks of the Amazon. And this is not a snake or even a crocodile! This is...a leaf climber - poison frog, which can kill up to 1,500 people with its poison.
Man cannot in any way curb this capricious element: not a single bridge has been built across the river and not a single crossing has been made. Only its tributary, the Rio Negra, has a bridge 3.5 kilometers long.
In the Amazon there is an incredibly smart animal - the inia dolphin, which in color can be not only gray, but even pink!
The three-meter-long Indians are naturally blind; they find food using special organs called sonars.
On the Amazonian shores live tribes who still do not strive to meet civilization. Scientists are not ready to contact them either. But the Indians from the Marubo tribe all day long, day and night, drum on a wooden drum, replacing each other.
It is their custom to beat their clubs in rhythm with their hearts, so that the pulse of the entire tribe beats synchronously, feeling unity.
In the Amazon there is a terrifying “devil’s garden” that the local aborigines avoid. The thing is that only one type of tree grows in it. This is with such a variety of vegetation! The mystery of nature was solved by the Americans who discovered the “builders” of such a garden – lemon ants.
They live in hollow stems, protecting the tree and at the same time destroying other plant competitors with formic acid. The insects built this devilish garden over eight centuries!

And now it’s time to see this miracle of nature with your own eyes. Watch the video)

This is the interesting longest river, the Amazon. By the way, not only the Nile, which is forty kilometers smaller, is breathing down her back. Our Russian Lena is in the top ten, taking seventh place, with 4,692 kilometers. The Volga, glorified in songs, occupies the fifteenth position, its length is 3531 kilometers.

I’m sure now you will have something to surprise your classmates! And the teacher will be so surprised that he will happily give you a big A in your diary!

Good luck in your studies and see you again!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

From space, the Earth is visible primarily in blue and white colors. This is not surprising, since two-thirds of its surface is covered with a layer of water. Except four oceans and numerous seas, there are also a huge number of rivers, swamps and lakes.
Water exhibits its most dynamic behavior precisely in rivers, which are always flowing somewhere, which distinguishes them from other natural bodies of water. Rivers begin with the smallest, imperceptible streams, and as they gain strength they can turn into huge water streams. The longest rivers cross continents, carrying water from their sources thousands of kilometers away. For humans, rivers historically had great importance- Since ancient times, people built cities near rivers, took water from there for drinking and irrigating fields, and transported goods and heavy loads along them. Often the length of a river can be very difficult to measure: one has a difficult source, another has an ambiguous confluence.

1. Amazon (6992 km)

The world's deepest river, the Amazon, has always been considered the longest river in South America, and for some time now in the world. This mighty river has the widest estuary and the largest drainage basin in terms of area. It provides 15% of the water discharge of all the world's rivers. Its source is the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers. To clarify the length of the river we had to use satellite images. Different scientists calculate the length of the Amazon in different ways: taking into account the length from the source of the Marañon River, the length of the Amazon is 6992.06 km, taking into account the length of the Apachet River - approximately 7000 km, and if we take into account the Ucayaki River, then the length of the river becomes generally more than 7000 km. Thus, the Amazon was able to outstrip even the Nile in length.

2. Nile (6852 km)

Having lost the world championship to the Amazon, in Africa the Nile undoubtedly remained the leader in length. The Nile begins on the East African plateau and flows north, crossing Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, where it flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a vast delta with fertile land.

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3. Yangtze (6300 km)

China's great Yangtze River rises above the clouds in Tibet - at an altitude of 5,600 meters among glaciers - and then crosses the entire country until it meets the South China Sea. The basin of this mighty river covers an area of 1.8 million square meters. km. This is the third longest river in the world, and the first in all of Eurasia. China is divided by a river into northern and southern parts. For the country, the importance of the Yangtze cannot be exaggerated: a cascade of powerful hydroelectric power stations was built here, and the largest Chinese cities were built along its banks. In addition, together with the Yellow River, it is the most important river for China culturally and historically.

4. Yellow River (5464 km)

Yellow River, which means " Yellow River" - the second largest in China. It is not named so by chance - in its colored yellow in its waters it carries millions of tons of loess from the Shaanxi Plateau. It also begins high in the Tibetan mountains, then flows east until it flows into the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River is considered to be the cradle of the great Chinese civilization. The river constantly changes its course. The water from it is used not only for irrigation, but is also drunk by 140 million Chinese. There are also many large Chinese cities along the banks of the river.

5. Mekong (4500 km)

The “Nine Dragon River” or Mekong flows through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China. It is the largest waterway of the Indochina Peninsula. It starts on the Tibetan Plateau, but then turns to the southeast. Farmers water their rice fields with water from the Mekong, and its wide floods are very favorable for growing this crop. But the hydropower resources of the Mekong are extremely underutilized. The Mekong has one of the largest deltas in the world (in Vietnam). IN last years The river delta is threatened by flooding from rising sea levels and regular landslides.

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6. Lena (4400 km)

The largest Russian river, the Lena, has a basin located entirely within the country. It originates on the Baikal ridge, at an altitude of 1470 meters, where there is a small swamp. Below Yakutsk, two deep tributaries flow into the Lena - Vilyui and Aldan, making it a powerful water stream. The width of the river in this section is 10 kilometers, but in some places it overflows for 30 kilometers. Even further downstream, mountain ranges begin, preventing the river from overflowing too much and accelerating its flow. Finally, near its mouth, the Lena slows down, breaks up into many branches that form a vast delta, and then flows into the Laptev Sea. 4400 km is the length of the river taking into account the delta, and sometimes another value appears: 4294 km is the length of the river excluding the Bykovskaya channel.

7. Parana (4380 km)

This is the second river in South America after the Amazon. The Paraná flows from north to south of the mainland through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina until it flows near Buenos Aires into La Plata Bay in the Atlantic Ocean. The Paraná is navigable for ships as far as the city of Rosario. The border of two states - Paraguay and Argentina - passes through the river (in its middle course), and downstream its bank has become the western border of the low-lying Mesopotamia region of Argentina.

8. Congo (4374 km)

One of the largest rivers in Africa is the Congo (or Zaire), which flows into equatorial regions continent and is second in length only to the Nile. There are many states in the Congo Basin: the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Burundi, Angola, Rwanda. The area of the Zaire basin is over 4 million square meters. km. This river, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, has a huge economic importance for the states of this region.

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9. Irtysh (4248 km)

The Irtysh carries its waters through the lands of China, Kazakhstan and Russia. This largest tributary of the Ob is the longest tributary in the world. The Irtysh-Ob river system, at 5,410 kilometers, is the longest in Russia, the second in Asia and the sixth in the world. Water is taken from the Irtysh for the Irtysh-Karaganda canal, laid to ensure irrigation and water supply to the region. From the downstream of the Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelectric power station to the confluence with the Ob, that is, at a distance of 3,784 kilometers, regular navigation is carried out along the Irtysh.

10. Niger (4180 km)

The Niger River is very important for West Africa. It has a rather unusual trajectory, resembling the shape of a boomerang, which until recently confused geographers. The source of this river is located only 240 kilometers from the Atlantic coast, and, it would seem, should quickly merge into the nearby ocean in the form of a small river, however, Niger turned in the opposite direction, drawing for itself a much longer unusual path to the same Atlantic Ocean .

11. Mississippi (3770 km)

Mississippi is the longest river North America. It originates in northern Minnesota, in Lake Itasca, then flows south, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Her largest influx is another big river - the Missouri, which follows closely on its heels in our list of the longest rivers in the world. The Mississippi Basin covers 31 US states and a couple of Canadian provinces, covering an area of 3.27 million square meters. km. Translated from the language of the Indians - the indigenous inhabitants of these places, Mississippi means "great (large) river." This river is of great importance for the country's economy - it carries a lot of shipping and carries a lot of passengers and cargo.

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12. Missouri (3767 km)

It was already mentioned above that the Missouri is the largest tributary of the Mississippi in terms of length, but in terms of length it is only 3 m behind. The source of the Missouri is in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Flowing southeast, the river flows into the Mississippi near the city of St. Louis. Shipping on the Missouri is experiencing Hard times. The amount of cargo transported by barges has been inexorably declining for several decades. This was facilitated first by the construction of dams on the river, and then by increased competition among other modes of transport, mainly from rail transport. Various projects are currently being developed to revive the former navigability and the necessity of Missouri for the national economy.

13. Ob (3650 km)

The next great Siberian river, the Ob, crosses the entire territory of this region until it flows into the ocean in the north. The Ob originates in Altai, at the place where two rivers - Katun and Biya - merge. The Ob's catchment area is approximately 3 million square meters. km. The Ob, like other great Siberian rivers, is of great importance for the Russian economy: a number of hydroelectric power stations have been built on it, and it is used as a transport artery.

14. Volga (3530 km)

This largest and longest river in Europe begins on the Valdai Upland, after which it slowly flows along the Central Russian Upland, before the Ural foothills it turns south and heads towards the Caspian Sea. It is noteworthy that at the mouth of the Volga it drops 28 meters below the level of the world ocean.

15. Yenisei (3487 km)

This one of the mighty and long Siberian rivers begins near the Russian-Mongolian border. Then the Yenisei cuts through all of Siberia, dividing it into Eastern and Western, after which it flows into the Kara Sea. Many hydroelectric power stations have been built on the Yenisei, supplying electricity to Siberian enterprises; it is an important Siberian transport artery. But the emergence of numerous reservoirs had a bad impact on the local ecology.

Most of the surface of the globe is occupied by water, which can be clearly observed from space. In addition to oceans and seas, there are other natural bodies of water on Earth: lakes and rivers. This article provides a list of the 15 longest rivers in the world.

Most active water element observed in rivers where water is always in motion. The most powerful water flow originates from a small stream and gradually, gaining strength, transforms into a large river that carries water over long distances.

Since ancient times, people have settled near rivers, since fresh water was necessary for domestic needs and the transportation of goods by water. The length of some rivers is quite difficult to measure for various reasons: it is difficult to determine the sources and mark the confluence of some reservoirs. So, which is the longest river in the world, the Amazon or the Nile?

List of the longest rivers. Top 15

Amazon− the longest river in the world. The Amazon is rightfully recognized as the longest and full-flowing river throughout the world, its length is − 6992 km. and she is in South America. This huge river has the largest drainage basin. It originates from the sources of two rivers: the Ucayali and Marañon. Some scientists find it difficult to give exact data on the length of the Amazon, even with the help of satellite calculations. The fact is that the sources have different locations and the length can be calculated from each of them. If we take into account the Ucayali River, the length of the Amazon becomes more than 7000 km. In length, the Amazon is ahead of the Nile.
Nile. The second longest river in terms of length is the Nile, located on the continent of Africa. Its length is 6852 km. This river starts from the East African Plateau and moves north, crossing several large states from Rwanda to Egypt, then flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
Yangtze. The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world. The powerful water flow that horizontally divides China into two parts is of great importance for the culture and history of the entire Chinese people. The length of the river is 6300 km. The Yangtze begins with glaciers in the mountains of Tibet, located at an altitude of 5600 km, and moves across the country to the South China Sea. On its banks are located Largest cities countries and powerful hydroelectric power stations. The Yangtze basin has an area of 1,800,000 square km, making it the first on the Eurasian continent.
Yellow River. Or in other words, the “Yellow River”, has a length of 5464 km and is the second largest river in China. It got its name from its yellow color specific to water. The reason for this is the loess (mountain limestone) that enters it from the Shaanxi Plateau. The river originates in the Tibetan highlands, and then moves to east direction, flowing into the Yellow Sea. The historical significance of the Yellow River is difficult to exaggerate, because it accompanies the birth of Chinese civilization. The river water is used for domestic needs and drinking.
Mekong- located on the territory of the Indochina Peninsula and flowing through several large countries from Vietnam to China. It has a length of 4500 km and originates in the Tibetan highlands, after turning in a southwestern direction. The water from the river is used by local residents to irrigate their rice fields. The largest delta, located in Vietnam, is often at risk of flooding and landslides.
Lena. The longest river in Russia with a length of 4400 km, including its delta. Its pool completely belongs to the expanses of our homeland. The sources of the river are located on the territory of the Baikal ridge. South of Yakutsk it merges with two powerful tributaries (Vilyui, Aldan), which expand the Lena up to 10 km. Even further south, mountain ranges prevent the river from flooding and speed up the flow. Near the mouth, the river diverges into numerous branches, which form a single large delta. Powerful current ends its path by flowing into the Laptev Sea.
Parana. The second major river in South America. It moves from the north of the continent to the south, crossing 3 large states, then flowing into the Gulf of La Plata. The river is navigable and is economically significant natural object, as it goes out into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Congo (or Zaire). One of the most powerful and longest rivers of the African continent with a length of 4374 km. The river has significant economic importance for the countries it crosses or passes in close proximity to, from the Central African Republic to Rwanda. The area of the river basin is very vast - 4,000,000 square meters. km.
The Irtysh is the largest tributary (4248 km) feeding the Ob River. It moves across the lands of three states at once: Chinese, Kazakh and Russian. The river provides a water supply system for several regions. Together with the Ob River, its length is 5410 km, making it the longest in Russia.
Niger- a river flowing through West Africa with an unusual flow path resembling a boomerang. It has a length of 4180 km. The source of the Niger is located 240 km from Atlantic coast, after which it turns in the other direction. Having drawn an unusual route for itself, the Niger flows into the Atlantic.
Mississippi– the largest river in North America (3770 km). Its powerful tributary is the Missouri. The Mississippi Basin includes 31 American state, several provinces of Canada, covering an area of 3,270,000 sq. meters. The aborigines of these places (Indians) gave it a name that means “great” or “big”. Active navigation is constantly carried out on its waters.
Missouri- in length it lags behind the Mississippi by only 3 km. The source of the river is hidden in the mountains of Montana. It flows in a southeast direction and empties into the Mississippi near the city of St. Louis. Recently, navigation on the river has not been as important as before due to growing competition from other transport.
Ob- the greatest river crossing the entire territory of the Siberian region. Its sources are located in Altai at the confluence of the Katun and Biya. It is of tangible importance for the Russian Federation: regular shipping is carried out along it and several hydroelectric power stations have been built. The length is (3650 km).
Volga. The longest river in Europe (3530 km), starting on the Valdai Hills and moving towards the Caspian Sea. Interesting fact – at its mouth the river is 28 meters below ocean level.
Yenisei. Another powerful and large river of Siberia, originating on the Russian border with Mongolia. The Yenisei has a length of 3487 km. It is this river that divides the Siberian lands into two parts: Eastern and Western, then flowing into the Kara Sea. A cascade of hydroelectric power stations was built on it, which supply large Siberian industrial enterprises with electricity. The Yenisei also plays an important role in the country’s economy, as shipping takes place on its waters. However, the construction of reservoirs had a negative impact on the ecology of the reservoir.

The longest river in Belarus is the Dnieper, its total length is 2145 kilometers, and on the territory of Belarus the length of the river is 690 kilometers.

What is the longest river in the world? In 2007, the world community was confused by the news that, thanks to new technologies for measuring the length of rivers, it was found that the longest river is not the Nile, as was long believed, but the Amazon.

Several factors play a role in the confrontation between the two great rivers:

the length of the river may change over time;
seasonal changes;
The length of the Nile was affected by the construction of dams. Now the length of the Nile is 6852 km;
Sometimes it is difficult to determine the correct source of the river among numerous tributaries. The length of the Amazon from the Maraño tributary will be 6992 km, and if from the Ucayali tributary, then over 7000 km.

For a long time The length of the rivers was calculated only approximately, but studies carried out by comparing photographs from space and computer processing of information proved: the longest river in the world is the Amazon.

Winner-Amazon

The longest river flows in. The Amazon is a record holder not only in length, but also in other indicators:

the deepest in the world;
the largest in the world in terms of basin area, which is more than 7,100 thousand km², which is comparable to the area of Australia. The total length of all tributaries of the Amazon is 25,000 km;
more than 1 million representatives various types flora and fauna lives on its banks;
The Amazon is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, an increase of 30 times more types fish living in all water bodies of Europe combined;
the basin area contains the world's largest tropical rainforests;
more than 25% of all medicines mined in the Amazon;
V beginning of XXI century, under the Amazon at a depth of 4000 m, an underground river was discovered, named after the Indian scientist, explorer of the Amazon - Hamza.

Surprisingly, not a single bridge has been built across the Amazon. A single crossing connects the banks of the Rio Negro tributary.

In 2011, the Amazon was recognized as one of the wonders of the world.

Great Nile

For a long time, the Nile, the great African river, had the status of the longest river in the world. water artery, shrine of the ancient Egyptians. The source of the Nile is the confluence of Rukarara and Kagera in Rwanda. For a long time, Lake Victoria was considered the source of the Nile. The delta area is 24,000 km². The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

The entire life of the countries through which the longest river flows is determined by the Nile. It can be called the river of life, which crosses the sultry sands of the Sahara Desert and never dries up. The water level depends on the amount of precipitation in the upper reaches. To protect the population from annual floods, 3 dams were built. This has its pros and cons: on the one hand, agriculture has lost its natural fertilizer - sludge; on the other hand, the area of irrigated land expanded, and crops began to be harvested 3 times a year. It is possible that the dams shortened the total length of the Nile.

The Nile is the cradle of human civilization. On its shores in the 4th millennium BC, one of the first agricultural states arose, with a developed culture and religion - Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians called the Nile Itera - Big River, and Herodotus wrote that Egypt is the gift of the Nile. Egypt is essentially a creation great river— 22% of the length of the Nile is located on the territory of this state.

Along the banks of the Nile there are great cultural monuments - the pyramids of Giza, the temples of Luxor and Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings. Beginning near Cairo, the Nile Delta is stunning in its length - 260 km along the Mediterranean Sea. All this makes Egypt a tourist oasis, the main jewel of which is the Nile.

The Great Ob - the pride of Russia

About 2.5 million rivers flow through the territory - large and small, great and nameless. 84% of fresh water is concentrated in Siberia. The longest river in Russia, the Ob, also flows there. Its length from the source of the Irtysh, the left tributary of the Ob, is 5410 km. In fact, the longest watercourse in Russia is the Ob-Irtysh water system.

The Great Ob is born at the confluence of the Katun and Biya in Altai, gains power at the mouth of the Irtysh and flows into the Arctic Ocean, forming the Gulf of Ob at the mouth - a bay more than 800 km long.

Interesting facts about the Ob:

In summer and autumn, the river water has a striped structure. This comes from the fact that Katun and Biya different colour water. The Katun carries greenish waters, and the Biya carries grayish or white waters;
The length of the Ob tributary, the Irtysh, is greater than the length of the Ob itself. Together they make up Russia's longest watercourse;
at the mouth of the Irtysh, the river’s width reaches 3 – 7 km, and its depth – up to 20 m;
near Novosibirsk the Ob is blocked by a dam that forms the Ob Sea;
The Ob is famous for its valuable fish species: sturgeon, vendace, whitefish, omul, peled, nelma and other valuable fish species are caught there;
The Ob is an important transport artery connecting the lands of 3 states: Russia, Kazakhstan, China.

The great rivers of the world are unique natural phenomena that connect countries and peoples, giving life, beauty and prosperity.

Rivers have always played an important role in shaping world history. Most ancient civilizations emerged and flourished near major rivers. Empires have risen and fallen on rivers, great battles have been lost and won. Over the centuries, the rivers have allowed our imagination to run wild. Who doesn't love to see a river in its full flow? Thousands of gallons of water flow through our land and into the seas, which is supplemented by amazing creations Mother Nature. But how long can a river be? Which river is the longest: maybe the Mississippi in the USA or the Amazon in Brazil? Or maybe it's the Brahmaputra or the Yangtze in Asia? Very soon we will know the answer.

The largest river in the world is determined by the size of its basin and average size its fullness (m3/s). According to these two parameters, the Amazon River in South America is far ahead of other rivers and in this regard is the largest river. But when it comes to the longest river in the world, only its length is taken into account. In order to calculate the length of a river, you need to start at its mouth (delta) and end with the river source located farthest from its mouth. At this scale, the Amazon is 6,405 km long, making it the second longest river in the world. And here is the first place.

The Nile River, located in Africa, is the longest river in the world. It covers a gigantic length of 6650 km before its mouth meets Mediterranean Sea as huge delta in Egypt. The length of a river is calculated as the distance between its mouth and the source furthest from the mouth. Any large river usually has many tributaries, which makes calculating the length of the river an extremely difficult task. But fortunately, the Nile has only two tributaries: the White Nile in Rwanda and the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, both of which merge at Khartoum in Sudan.

Lake Victoria in Uganda was previously considered the source of the Nile River. It was later discovered that several of the lake's rivers were of impressive size, and their farthest flow was considered to be the final source of the Nile. A stream was discovered coming out of the Nyungwe forest in Rounda, which is believed to be the source of the river. Neil has various names, starting from Rounda and ending with the delta in Egypt. At the point where the river leaves Lake Victoria it is called the Victoria Nile. After 500 km, the river passes through Lake Albert on the border of Uganda and Congo: until the intersection with Sudan, the river is called the Albert Nile. In Sudan, the Nile is called Bahr el Jabal (river of the mountain) up to the point where it passes through Lake No. The Nile is now called Bahr el-Abayyad or the White Nile. It received this name because of the white clay deposited in its waters. At Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the White Nile meets its second largest tributary, the Blue Nile.

The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana, located in the east of the African state of Ethiopia.. The upper reaches of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia are called Abbay. Many locals consider this river sacred. They believe that this river is the Gihon, flowing from the Garden of Eden as written in Genesis 2. The Blue Nile travels a distance of 1400 km before merging with the White Nile into the Nile River itself at Khartoum. And although the Blue Nile is shorter, it makes up 59% of the Nile's waters.

The river has a huge historical meaning. The great Egyptian civilization grew and flourished along the banks of the Nile, which was vital to its growth. As the Sahara Desert became increasingly arid, the inhabitants of its regions began to move to the banks of the Nile, presumably as early as the Stone Age: thus, a prosperous society appeared and developed here. agriculture and trade.

Returning to the length, it should be noted that the Amazon and the Nile have long fought for the title of the longest river in the world. But in the middle of the 20th century it was carried out comprehensive study, which showed that the Nile is longer (though not much) than the Amazon. Although the Nile and Amazon are always mentioned when talking about the largest or longest river in the world, there are several others large rivers, which are of great historical and environmental significance. Not only have many civilizations flourished on these rivers, they have now developed into the most densely populated regions of the planet. Here is a list of the eight longest rivers:

The Nile in Africa, 6650 km long, flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Amazon River in South America, 6437 km long, flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Mississippi-Missouri in the USA, 5970 km long, flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Yangtze in China, 5,796 km long, flows into the East China Sea.
Ob-Irtysh in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, length 5566 km.
The Yellow River in China is 4,667 km long and flows into the Bohai Sea.
The Yenisei in Russia and Mongolia, 4,506 km long, flows into the Kara Sea.
Amur - Argun in Russia, China and Mongolia, 4498 km long, flows into the Sea of Okhotsk.