Rivers are critical components of our ecosystem. They play an important role in transporting water, organisms, important gases, and nutrients to a variety of locations. For anyone who has lived near a river, there is no denying that you must have seen that rivers are important to humans, organisms, as well as plants and animals.
In this post, we explore some of the longest rivers in the world as well as the importance of rivers and the roles they play in our lives.
What is a River?
A river is a naturally flowing freshwater channel that flows towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. It is a component of the hydrological cycle; water normally gathers in a river from precipitation, surface runoff, and other origins, including groundwater recharge.
7 Reasons why rivers are important
Below are some of the reasons why rivers are important part of the ecosystem:
- Rivers transport nutrients organisms and important gases all around the earth.
- Rivers are crucial part of the water cycle because they serve as drainage channels for surface waters.
- Rivers serve is incredible habitats and great food source for most of the earth’s organisms.
- Rivers serve as route sources for commerce, exploration and recreation.
- Fertile soils can be found in river valleys and plains. Farmers in arid areas irrigate their crops with water transported by irrigation ditches from nearby rivers.
- Rivers are an important source of energy. Mills, shops, and factories were built near fast-flowing rivers where water could be used to power machines during the early industrial era. Even today, steep rivers are used to power hydroelectric plants and water turbines.
- Rivers are a vital part of people’s livelihoods. People who live in riverine areas depend on rivers for fishing and agriculture as a means of sustenance and survival.
10 Longest Rivers In The World
The importance of rivers cannot be overemphasized as you must have learnt that rivers are an integral part of our lives, not just ours but plants, animals, and living organisms under the earth.
Here are the 10 longest rivers in the world:
10. Amur River – 4480 km
The Amur River also referred to as the Heilong Jiang, is the world’s tenth longest river, stretching along the boundary between northeastern China and Russia. Although the name amur is supposed to derive from a phrase meaning “water,” Heilong Jiang in Chinese means “black dragon river.” Amur River forms the border between Russian Far East and Northeastern China.
9. Congo River – 4700 km
Congo River, formerly the Zaire River, flows in a curved pattern through Africa and is the only body of water to pass the equator two times. It is also the world’s deepest river, reaching depths of over 700 feet in certain spots. The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa, just behind the Nile River. The Congo River is the ninth longest river on the planet.
8. Parana River – 4880 km
Parana River can be found in south central South America, and it is among the world’s longest rivers and Africa’s second largest. Its name is a shortened form of the Tupi phrase para rehe onáva, which means “like the sea.” The Parana River runs through Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. It is the second longest river in South America, only behind the Amazon River.
7. Ob-Irtysh River – 5410 km
Together with the Yenisei and the Lena, the Ob-Irtysh, often referred to as the Ob River, is among the three main Siberian rivers. It makes its way from the Altas Mountains into the Arctic Ocean. It is an important river in Russia and the seventh longest river in the world.
6. Yellow River – 5464 km
This gigantic river also named the Huang He, is renowned as the Yellow River because of its hue, which results from large volumes of loose salt in the water. Its basin is regarded as the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization, and it continues to be of significant importance to the nation, practically and culturally. The Yellow River is the second longest river in China, only after the Yangtze River and it is the sixth longest river in the world.
5. Yenisei River – 5539 km
The Yenisei River is the world’s fifth-longest river system and the biggest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. The Selenge River is considered the system’s headwaters. The Selenge River flows into Lake Baikal and is 992 kilometers long. The Angara River begins near Listvyanka in Lake Baikal and runs through Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast before joining the Yenisei River near Strelka. Ultimately, the Yenisei empties into the Arctic Ocean. The total distance traveled is 5,539 miles.
4. Mississippi River – 6275 km
The Mississippi, Missouri, and Jefferson rivers are considered the world’s fourth longest rivers. The river system drains 31 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada. The Mississippi River originates in northern Minnesota, where Lake Itasca is said to be its source, then flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Nevertheless, if we consider the Jefferson River the Mississippi River’s most far source, we obtain the Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson river system.
3. Yangtze River – 6300 km
The Yangtze River, which flows wholly inside one nation, is the third-longest river in the world. It is also Asia’s longest river. China has the world’s highest population, with one-third of its people living in the Yangtze River basin. The Chinese government traditionally acknowledges the Tuotuo tributary in the Tanggula Mountains as the river’s source. However, fresh information indicates that the headwaters of the Dam Qu tributary are situated in Jari Hill, where the Yangtze River’s source is believed to be. Together with other tributaries, the powerful Yangtze River emerges in Shanghai and empties into the East China Sea.
2. Amazon River – 6575 km
Without uncertainty, the Amazon River is the greatest in the world regarding water output. The Nile River in Egypt has long been the longest river in the world; hence its place as the second-longest river in the world is hotly contested. Determining Amazon’s beginning is the source of controversy, the Cordillera Rumi Cruz, according to 2014 research, is where Amazon had its start.
1. Nile River – 6650 km
Believed to be the world’s longest river, the Nile. The Nile River is 6650 kilometers long overall. The river is said to originate from Lake Victoria. In addition to Egypt, it also passes through Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Sudan, and South Sudan. Two of the river’s tributaries are the Blue and White Niles.
The Amazon River is considered the actual victor of the title of the longest river in the world, even though the Nile River is the longest in the world according to most people. Great rivers like the Nile and Amazon have many sources and tributaries, both large and tiny. If the actual length of a river is to be determined, it is necessary to locate its furthest source. Finding such sources is difficult since they are sometimes hidden away in difficult-to-reach places.