How many longest river in the world

For example, the length may be considered to be the distance from the mouth to the most distant headwater source irrespective of stream name or from the mouth to the headwaters of the stream commonly identified as the source stream. The names of some rivers, such as the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande, are unchanged from source to mouth. In contrast, the name of the source of the Mobile River—Tickanetley Creek—changes five times before becoming Mobile River 45 miles north of Mobile Bay.

Source: Kammerer, J. Skip to main content. Search Search. Water Science School. Rivers of the World: World's Longest Rivers.

The World's Longest Rivers. That is a huge amount of water! From its source on the Tibetan Plateau to its mouth on the East China Sea, the river runs 6, kilometers through China, with more than three-quarters of its length winding through mountains. This officially makes the Mississippi River the fourth-longest river in the world. The Yenisey is the fifth-longest river in the world, and the largest river to drain into the Arctic.

With its source in Mongolia, the Yenisey drains a large part of central Siberia as it flows northwards to the Kara Sea. Many nomadic tribes — such as the Ket and Yugh people — have lived along the banks of the river since records began, and the Yenisey hosts the Taimyr, the largest reindeer herd in the world, for their winter grazing. The Yenisey sadly suffers from pollution caused by radioactive discharge from a plutonium factory in what is now the city of Zheleznogorsk.

The Yellow River basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and for a long time the most prosperous region of the country. Over the centuries there have been a number of large-scale natural disasters along the river, with some floods records as killing more than one million people and large shifts in the river course.

Modern dams have all but removed serious flooding of the river. The Ob basin stretches across much of Western Siberia, covering semi-desert, grassland, forests, and plains. There are many factors in determining the precise length of a river. These include the source, the identification or the definition of the river's mouth, and the scale of measurement when determining the river length between source and mouth.

As a result, the length measurements of many rivers are only approximations. A river's "true source" is considered to be the source of whichever tributary is farthest from the mouth, but this tributary may or may not have the same name as the main stem river.

Furthermore, it is sometimes hard to state exactly where a river begins — especially rivers that are formed by ephemeral streams, swamps, or changing lakes. The mouth of a river is hard to determine in cases where the river has a large estuary that gradually widens and opens into the ocean.

Some rivers do not have a mouth, and instead dwindle to very low water volume and disappear underground. A river may also have multiple channels, or anabranches, and it may not be clear how to measure the length through a lake. Seasonal and annual changes may alter rivers as well, not to mention cycles of erosion and flooding, dams, levees, and geological engineering. In addition, the length of meanders can change significantly over time when a new channel cuts across a narrow strip of land, bypassing a large river bend.

The Nile River, located in Africa, is listed as being 6, kilometers 4, miles long, and is hence commonly considered to be the longest river in the world. In ancient times, its existence was closely tied to the rise of civilization in the Near East, being the main source of irrigation and fresh water for multiple Egyptian dynasties. Today, it remains the primary water source for both Egypt and the Sudan.

The source of the Nile is traditionally considered to be Lake Victoria, but Victoria itself has feeder rivers of considerable size. It's two main tributaries, are the White Nile and Blue Nile. The former is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself, but the latter is the primary source of water and silt. The Amazon River is the longest river in South America, and the largest river in the world in terms of water discharge. This river has a series of major river systems in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

At roughly 6, km 4, mi in length, it is also considered to be the second-longest river in the world. However, Brazilian scientists claimed to have found the most distant source of the Amazon in the Andes. This source is apparently a glacial stream emanating from the peak of Nevado Mismi in the Peruvian Andes, roughly km mi southeast of Lima. If this is correct, then the Amazon is in fact 6. The third longest river in the world is the Yangtze — or as it's known in China, the Chang Jiang River.

The Yangtze is 6, kilometers 3, miles in length, making it the longest river in Asia. It originates from the glaciers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai province, flows eastward across southwest, central and eastern China, and then empties into the East China Sea at Shanghai. The Yangtze River has played a large role in the history, culture and economy of China, and continues to do so to this day.

In addition to running through multiple ecosystems in China, its existence was also pivotal to human settlement, the development of agriculture, and the rise of civilization in East Asia. Because of the impact of human infrastructure, some sections of the river are now protected wildlife preserves. At 6, kilometers 3, miles the Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River system is the fourth longest in the world and the longest river in the United States. Although each river separately would not be in the top five, these three rivers are grouped together into one because the Missouri River meets the Mississippi near the city of St.

Louis, while the Missouri connects to the Jefferson river in Montana. It is the longest in Asia running for km, and originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's glaciers. It runs through numerous ecosystems in China, and is of the utmost importance in the country even to this day. The fourth largest river system is located in North America, covering a total of km. The Mississippi River is the longest in the United States, while the Missouri River is the second longest in the country.

Together with Jefferson it forms a river system of importance, which happens to be the fourth largest. The reason why the three of these rivers are grouped together is that the Missouri River meets Mississippi River near St. Louis city, and then it merges with Jefferson River in Montana. Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community.

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