World’s important riversBy:- Rituparn Masram.

Continent wise

1. Amazon River

At approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world.

Amazon is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total river flow that accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total.

The Amazon and its tributaries flow through Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Amazon has over 3,000 recognized species of fish and new species are still being discovered.

Orinoco River, it is one of the main habitats of the Amazon River Dolphin, the largest species of river dolphin, which can grow to lengths of up to 2.6 meters (8.5 feet)

The bull shark has been reported 4,000 km (2,500 mi) up the Amazon River at Iquitos in Peru. Another dangerous fish in the Amazon is the notorious piranha which congregates in large schools, though only a few species are known to attack humans.

2. Nile river

The Nile is the longest river in the world,

stretching north for 6,650 km (4,132 miles) from East Africa to the Mediterranean. 

two major tributaries:- white Nile, blue NileWhite Nile:- rises in the Great Lakes region of

central Africa.Blue Nile:- while the Blue Nile starts at Lake

Tana in Ethiopia.crucial role in the development of the

Egyptian civilization.

3. Yangtze River

Yangtze River is the longest river in China, third-longest in the world.

The river is about 6300 km long (3915 miles) and originates in a glacier lying on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau.

Three Gorges Dam, is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world on this river.

The river is one of the world’s busiest waterways. Traffic includes commercial traffic transporting bulk goods such as coal as well as manufactured goods and passengers

4. Danube

 It originates in the Black Forest in Germany and flows eastwards for a distance of some 2850 km (1771 miles), passing through 4 capitals, before emptying into the Black Sea. 

The Danube is one of the most important rivers in Europe and the continent’s second longest river after the Volga.

The river was one of the long standing frontiers of the Roman Empire and today forms a part of the borders of 10 European countries.

Since the completion of the German Rhine–Main–Danube Canal in 1992, the river has been part of a trans-European waterway from the black sea all the way to Rotterdam on the North Sea.

5. Ganges

The 2,510 km (1,560 miles) Ganges originates in the western Himalayas in India, and drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal. 

It has long been considered a holy river by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals have been located on its banks.

Situated on the banks of Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the holiest city in Hinduism.

Ganges is such an important river it has been declared India’s National River.

6. Mekong River

 From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China’s Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The Mekong basin is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world which is only surpassed by the Amazon. 

The river is difficult to navigate due to the extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls.

Since the building of the first Chinese dam however, many species have become endangered including the Mekong dolphin and manatee.

7. Zambezi

The river rises in a black wetland in north-western Zambia and flows through Angola, along the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia again, and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique, where it empties into the Indian Ocean. 

The Zambezi’s most spectacular feature is the beautiful Victoria Falls.

The river supports large populations of many animals. Hippopotamuses are abundant along most of the calm stretches of the river, and many crocodiles are also present.

8. Volga River

It originates at an elevation of only 225 meter (740 feet) in the Valday Hills northwest of Moscow and discharges 3,645 km further (2,266 miles) into the Caspian Sea.

The Volga is the longest river in Europe and one of Russia’s most important rivers. Out of the 20 largest cities of Russia, 11, including its capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga’s drainage basin. 

The Volga is of great importance to inland shipping and transport in Russia even though the river freezes for most of its length for three months each year.

9. Mississippi River

The river originates at Lake Itasca, and empties below New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.

major tributary, the Missouri River, the river drains all or parts of 31 U.S. states.

The famous Steamboats entered trade in the 1820s. Cotton, timber and food were transported down the river. After the arrival of the railroads in the 1880s steamboat traffic diminished although they remained a feature until the 1920s. 

10. Sepik River

The river originates in the Victor Emanuel Range

in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea. Length the river winds in serpentine fashion, like

the Amazon River, to the Bismarck Sea. Sepik has no delta whatsoever, but flows straight

into the sea.The river’s total length is 1,126 kilometers (700

miles). The isolation of the river’s small tribal groups has given rise to one of the most original and extensive artistic traditions. It is one of the last remaining undisturbed environments in the world.

Thank you.