Great rivers of the world. The largest rivers in the world

The existence of life on our planet cannot be imagined without rivers. They are also the largest sources fresh water for territories that have an area of ​​tens of thousands of square kilometers. It was the large rivers that became the cradles of human civilization. Today, a million people live along them. An excellent example would be the Yangtze or the Nile.
Of course, there is a dispute between individual groups of scientists and even entire countries about the longest and largest river in the world. Whole expeditions go in search of new sources to add several tens of kilometers to the length of the river.

The largest, largest and longest rivers in the world. List.

	Name	Length (km)	Basin area (thousand km²)	Average water discharge at the mouth (thousand m³ / s)	The highest water discharge at the mouth (thousand m³ / s)	Solid effluent (million tons / year)
	Amazon
	Mississippi - Missouri
	Ob (with Irtysh)
	Parana (from the origins of Paranaiba)
	Amur (from the origins of Argun)
	Congo (with Lualaba)
	Mackenzie (from the origins of Peace River)
	Yenisei (from the origins of the Small Yenisei)
	Ganges (with Brahmaputra)

1. Amazon (6992 m.) - the largest, longest and largest river in the world and South America.
Description of the Amazon River - the longest river in the world and South America.
The Amazon is the absolute record holder in terms of both length and depth and area of ​​the pool. For many years it was believed that the longest river in the world is the Nile, but the latest research, carried out by comparing photographs from space and computer data processing, refuted this long-known fact. The Amazon turned out to be 140 km longer than the Nile!

In 2011, according to the results of a worldwide competition, Amazon was recognized as one of the seven natural wonders the world. And this is no coincidence. The Amazon is not only the longest, largest and largest river in the world and in South America, but also a unique place on our planet, home to more than a million species of various plants and animals. According to the researchers, 10 km² of rainforest has 1.5 thousand species of flowers, 750 species of trees, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and countless number of invertebrates. Many of their species are not even described or identified. Up to 2000 species of fish live in the Amazon and its tributaries, one of which is the well-known voracious predatory piranhas.

The basin of the longest river in the world is home to the planet's largest tropical rainforest. The climate here is hot and humid, all year round the air temperature fluctuates only in the range of 25-28 ° C and it rains very often. There is practically no wind in the forest - lush vegetation does not allow gusts of air to pass through. Even during a storm, only the tops of the trees sway here, and half-darkness and peace reign below.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the longest underground river in the world was discovered under the longest surface river in the world, flowing parallel to the Amazon at a depth of 4000 m. It originates in the Andes and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Its still unofficial name Hamza is in honor of the scientist who discovered it. The speed of the Khamza River does not exceed several meters per year, and the width is about 400 meters.

2. Neil (6852)- the second of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in Africa.
Description of the Nile River - the second largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in Africa.
The Nile is a true "river of life" as it is the only river North Africa crossing the sands of the Sahara without drying up. The permanent watercourse is carried out by precipitation falling in the upper reaches of the river.

Almost all the settlements of Egypt are located along the Nile, and almost all economic activity is concentrated. The waters of the second longest river in the world are used for irrigating fields and generating electricity ( energetic resources Nile is estimated at 50 GW), fishing and fish farming, water supply and shipping.

The Nile originates on the East African Plateau (Kagera River), flows through Lake Victoria (some sources indicate this particular lake as the source of the Nile River). The exit from the plateau is characterized by an abundance of rapids and waterfalls. After the confluence of the El-Ghazal River, the river is called the White Nile and flows through semi-deserts and deserts to Khartoum, receives the main tributary, the Blue Nile, and under the name of the Nile itself flows to the Mediterranean Sea, at the confluence of which it forms a vast delta.

Floods in different parts of the river occur in different seasons: in the equator region - in summer and winter seasons, in the northern part of the river - in summer and autumn periods... To regulate the flow of one of the longest rivers in the world, dams have been built: Gebel-Aulia on the White Nile, Aswan and Vysotnaya Aswan. The construction of dams made the population safe from annual floods. This, on the one hand, deprived agriculture of the most important natural fertilizer - silt, but, on the other hand, increased the area of ​​irrigated land and made it possible to remove three crops a year from the fields.

3. Yangtze (5800 km) - the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest, largest and largest river in Eurasia.

Description of the Yangtze River - the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in Eurasia.
The Yangtze River originates in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of about 5600 km and flows through China from west to east, making a large loop south after Qinghai Province. The lower reaches of the Yangtze flows through southern part The Great Plain of China, where the river is often divided into branches, while the width of the main channel reaches 2 km or more. In the area where it flows into the East China Sea, the Yangtze forms a large-scale delta with an area of ​​about 80 thousand km².

Four of the five largest freshwater lakes in China run off the Yangtze. The third of the longest rivers in the world has about 700 tributaries, the largest of which are Yalongjiang, Minjiang, Jialingjiang, Tuo, Hanshui (Juhe).
The Yangtze River is of great cultural and economic importance to the country. This is the main waterway of China. Total length waterways the Yangtze basin exceeds 17 thousand km. The river is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The volume of freight traffic in 2005 reached 795 million tons.
The Yangtze River Basin, which covers a fifth of China, is home to a third of the country's population and produces about 20% of GDP. On the most long river The world's largest hydroelectric power plant, the Three Gorges HPP, has been built in Eurasia.
The Yangtze River is home to many animals, including several endangered species such as the Chinese river dolphin, Chinese alligators and Korean sturgeon. In the basin of the third of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world, there are several nature reserves and part national park"Three Parallel Rivers", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

4. Mississippi (6275 km) - the fourth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest, largest and largest river in North America. Mississippi

Description of the Mississippi River - the fourth largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the longest river in North America.
The Mississippi is one of the greatest rivers in the world. Together with the Missouri, it is the fourth longest river in the world and the largest, largest and longest river in North America. The Mississippi flows through ten US states from north to south. The source of the river is the Nicolette Creek River (according to other sources, Lake Itasca, the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The river basin (the third largest after the Amazon and Congo basins) stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians and from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico, occupying an area of ​​3268 thousand km2, which is 40% of the area of ​​the United States, excluding Alaska.
The length of the Mississippi River is 3950 km (according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia) or 3774 km (Wikipedia). It takes a drop of water 90 days to get from the source to the mouth of the river.
Speaking of the Mississippi as the fourth of the longest rivers in the world, it should be borne in mind that we are talking about the length of the Jefferson-Missouri-Mississippi river system. In total, the length of the three rivers is 6275 kilometers. When it comes to the longest river in North America, various sources name either the Mississippi River (3774 km), then its tributary Missouri (3767 km). In our classification of rivers by length, we proceeded from determining the length of the river from the source of its longest tributary to the mouth. With this approach, the Mississippi is definitely the longest river in North America.
The Mississippi is a convenient waterway from the Gulf of Mexico to the central parts of the mainland, an important transport artery of the United States, connecting the developed industrial and agricultural regions of the country. The rivers of the Mississippi system are of great economic importance. The total length of the basin's navigable routes is over 25 thousand square meters. km. A number of large power plants have been built on the tributaries of the Mississippi.
The river is fed by mixed snow and rain. The right tributaries bring mainly melt water formed by melting snow in the Rocky Mountains, the left tributaries feed the Mississippi with rain and storm waters. The Mississippi regime is characterized by spring-summer floods and violent rainfall floods.
The longest, largest and largest river in North America is divided into three sections, the boundaries of which are the places where its largest tributaries - Missouri and Ohio - flow into the Mississippi.
In the upper section, the river flows through shallow lakes, overcoming rocky rapids and rapids in many places, the most significant of which are in the cities. Minneapolis (St Anthony Falls), Davenport and Keiokak. From Minneapolis to the Missouri estuary, the river is flooded, with more than 20 dams located on this stretch.

In the middle section, the fourth longest river in the world flows mainly in one channel. The width of the river valley, bounded by steep slopes, is 15-20 km. In the middle section, the Mississippi has an interesting feature: for 150-180 km, muddy, muddy waters The Missouri flows alongside the relatively clear Mississippi water without mixing.
In the lower section, the Mississippi River flows through a vast valley, gradually expanding from 25 to 70 km. The river bed is meandering, with numerous branches and oxbows, forming in the lower reaches a labyrinth of channels, oxbow lakes, vast floodplain bogs, flooded during floods. At the end of the delta, the longest, largest and largest river in North America forks into 6 main relatively short branches, 20-40 km long, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

5. Yellow River (5464 km) - the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the second longest river in Eurasia.

Description of the Yellow River - the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world and the second longest river in Asia.

The Yellow River, one of the greatest rivers in the world, is the second longest river in Asia and the fifth longest river in the world. The name of the river translated from Chinese means "Yellow River". The yellow color to the waters of the river is given by an abundance of sediments, of which there are so many in the river that the sea into which it flows is called Yellow. In terms of sediment volume, the Yellow River ranks first in the world (1.3 billion tons / year).
The Yellow River originates in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of over 4000 m, flows through the lakes Orin-Nur and Jarin-Nur, the spurs of the Kunlun and Nanshan mountain ranges. At the intersection of the Ordos and the Loess Plateau, it forms a large bend in its middle course, then through the gorges of the Shanxi Mountains it enters the Great China Plain, along which it flows about 700 km before the confluence of the Yellow Sea into the Bohai Bay, forming a delta in the confluence area. According to various sources, the length of the river is from 4670 km to 5464 km, and the area of ​​its basin is from 745 thousand km² to 771 thousand km².

The method of feeding the Yellow River: rain, in the mountainous part of the basin also snow. The fifth of the longest, largest and largest rivers in the world has a monsoon regime during summer floods with a rise in water level up to 5 m in the plains and up to 20 m in the mountains. To protect against floods, a system of dams with a total length of more than 5,000 km has been built along the river. Breakthroughs of dams led to catastrophic floods, accompanied by large-scale destruction and a change in the river channel (the maximum channel change was about 800 km). Because of the incredible catastrophic floods, the Yellow River received the nickname "Mountain of China". It is known that over the past two thousand years, the Yellow River overflowed the banks more than a thousand times, broke through dams and, at least 20 times, significantly changed the trajectory of its channel. In 1931, a flood on the Yellow River killed, according to various estimates, from 1,000,000 to 4,000,000 inhabitants of the North China Plain.

Despite this, the Yellow River Basin provides about 140 million people with drinking water and water for irrigation. A number of hydroelectric power plants have been built on the river. Through the Great Canal, the fifth of the largest, largest and longest rivers in the world is connected to the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers.

The Yellow River flows through a total of seven modern provinces and two autonomous regions, namely the following (from west to east): Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia Hui, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong. The Yellow River estuary is located in Kenli County (Shandong).
The river is usually divided into three parts - upstream, middle and downstream. The upper course of the river runs along the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau and the Loess Plateau of northwestern China; the middle course includes the valley between Ordos and Shaanxi and gorges further downstream; the lower course of the river runs along the Great Plain of China.

6. Ob River (with Irtysh)

The Ob River is one of the largest rivers not only in Russia, but throughout the world. It flows from south to north through Western Siberia almost parallel to the greatest Russian river Yenisei. A mighty stream flows into the Kara Sea in the north. There is a huge bay at the confluence. It is called the Gulf of Ob, and its length is more than 800 km. This is a kind of mouth of the river, which in scientific circles is called the estuary. It is characterized by the absence of river sediments. Their creation is impeded by sea currents. In Russia, in addition to the Gulf of Ob, the Yenisei Gulf can also be called an estuary.

Like all the big rivers of Siberia, it flows into the Laptev Sea, the marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. To some extent, Lena can be called a discoverer: after the melting of the glacier and the formation of flora and fauna, it was this river that was one of the first to blaze a path to the sea, exploring the endless taiga expanses of Siberia.

The familiar Russian-speaking name "Lena" has nothing to do with female name- this is just a derivative of the Evenk word Tunguso-Manchurian language group"Elu-Ene", which translates as "Big River". The Evenk hydronym was used by the discoverer of the river, the Russian explorer Pyanda (Penda), who explored the river in 1619-1623, following downstream from the modern region of Kirensk to Yakutsk. Like all the big rivers of Siberia, the Lena flows northward, flowing into the Laptev Sea, the marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean.

The question of what exactly is considered the source of Lena is still open " latest versions indicate a mountain stream at an altitude of 1650 m.Following further along the channel, the waters of the Lena, depending on the conditions, change their character, showing all types of temperament: choleric - at the beginning of their journey, phlegmatic - in the middle reaches, sanguine in the lower and melancholic in delta.
By the nature of the river flow, three sections are distinguished: from the source to the village of Kachug, from Kachug to Zhigansk, the middle course, and from Zhigansk to the mouth - the lower section.
Before the confluence of the Manzurka River near the village of Kachug, Lena descends along the Baikal ridge and lays down in the mountainous Prebaikalia, here her character can be compared with choleric. With a small size in this part (width 5-7 m), the speed of its current does not fall below 9 km / h.
Then Lena follows up to Ust-Kut and below until the confluence of the Chaya and Vitim rivers, here her character becomes closer to phlegmatic. This is especially noticeable after the confluence of the Olekma into it and a significant expansion of the channel from the village. Vesti to Yakutsk, where it reaches 5 km. The slopes of the river in the middle reaches are most often covered with coniferous trees with occasionally visible meadows.
Then the river in its unperturbed movement expands even more, reaching 7-9 km in the channel even before the confluence of the Aldan. And with Aldan and Vilyuy, entering later, the Lena's width reaches 10 km (up to 20 in the island areas), and the depth exceeds 16-20 m.In the Zhigansk region, Lena narrows and therefore its character passes to the sanguine: the stream becomes lively and powerful, reaching a maximum strength.

11.Congo River

Kongo (Zaire, Lualaba) - a river in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (partly flows along its borders with the Republic of the Congo and Angola), the deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second largest river in the world after the Amazon. In the upper reaches (above the city of Kisangani) it is called Lualaba. The only large river that crosses the equator twice. The basin area is 4,014,500 km². Length - 4374 km. The slope of the river is 0.36 m / km.
It originates from the settlement of Mumena.
The length of the Congo from the source of Lualaba is 4374 km (from the source of Chambeshi - over 4700 km). The basin area is 4,014,500 km². The source of Lualaba originates in the southeast of the DRC, on a plateau near the border with Zambia. According to other sources, the source of the Congo is the Chambeshi River, which forms between lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika at an altitude of 1590 meters above sea level. It flows into Lake Bangweulu, flows out of it under the name Luapula, flows into Lake Mweru, flowing out of it like the Luvua River and joins with Lualaba. The upper reaches of the Congo (Lualaba), located within the plateaus and plateaus, are characterized by an alternation of rapids and leveled pools with a calm current. The steepest fall (475 m at a distance of about 70 km) of Lualaba is in the Nzilo gorge, with which it cuts through the southern spurs of the Mitumba mountains. Starting from the city of Bukama, the river flows slowly, strongly meandering, along the flat bottom of the Upemba graben. Below the city of Kongolo, Lualaba breaks through crystalline rocks through the Port d'Anfer (Hell's Gate) gorge, forming rapids and waterfalls; further downstream, several more groups of waterfalls and rapids follow one after another. Between the cities of Kindu and Ubundu, the river flows calmly again in a wide valley. Just below the equator, it descends from the edge of the plateau into the Congo depression, forming the Stanley Falls.
After the Stanley Falls near the city of Kisangani, the river changes its name to Congo. In the middle course, enclosed within the Congo Basin, the river is calm with a slight dip (on average about 0.07 m / km). Its channel, mainly with low and flat, often swampy shores, is a chain of lake-like expansions (in some places up to 15 km), separated by relatively narrowed (up to 1.5-2 km) sections. In the central part of the Congo Basin, the floodplains of the river and its right tributaries Ubangi and Sanga merge together, forming one of the world's largest periodically flooded areas. As it approaches the western edge of the depression, the shape of the river changes: it is compressed here between high (100 m and more) and steep bedrock banks, narrowing in places to less than 1 km; the depths increase (often up to 20-30 m), the current accelerates. This narrowed area, the so-called Channel, turns into the Stanley Pool lacustrine extension (about 30 km long, up to 25 km wide), which ends the middle course of the Congo.
In the lower reaches of the Congo, it breaks through to the ocean through the South Guinean Plateau in a deep (up to 500 m) gorge. The channel width here decreases to 400-500 meters, in some places to 220-250 meters. For 350 km between the cities of Kinshasa and Matadi, the river descends 270 m, forming about 70 rapids and waterfalls, united under the general name Livingstone Falls. The depths in this section are 230 m or more, making the Congo the deepest river in the world. At Matadi, the Congo reaches the coastal lowland, the channel expands to 1–2 km, the depths in the fairway reach 25–30 m. Near the town of Boma, the Congo estuary begins, the width of which in the middle part reaches 19 km, then decreases to 3.5 km and increases again to the mouth, where it is 9.8 km. The summit and middle part of the estuary are occupied by an actively forming young delta. The continuation of the estuary is the Congo underwater canyon with a total length of at least 800 km.

12. Mackenzie River

Mackenzie (English and French Mackenzie, slave Deh Cho - "big river") is the largest river in Canada and the entire American north with a length of 1738 km. Named after Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered it.
It is a navigable river, the length of the navigable routes of the entire Mackenzie river system is 2,200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Taktoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements are Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the Norman Wells oil field center.
It was discovered and first passed by A. Mackenzie from June 29 to July 14, 1789. Originally called the Disappointment River (English Disappointment, "Disappointment" or "Discontent").
Tributaries
R. Drank
R. Liard
R. Big Bear
R. Arctic Red River
R. Karkadzhu
R. Ruth
R. Mountain
R. Hare Indian

The source of the Great Slave Lake is considered to be the beginning of the Mackenzie River; the large Canadian lakes Woollaston, Clare, Athabasca and Big Bear are also part of the river basin. The last lake is connected with the river through the Bolshaya Medvezhya tributary. The average discharge of water at the mouth of the river is ≈10 700 m³ / s, which puts the river in this indicator on the second place among the rivers in North America after the Mississippi. The relatively low water content of Mackenzie is due to the blocking effect of the Rocky Mountains in the west, which reduces the impact The Pacific at the bottom of its catchment.
Mackenzie, like more than half of Canada's rivers, belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. The Arctic rivers are mainly fed by snow and rain. In the central and northern regions of the country, rivers and lakes are covered with ice for 5 to 9 months. Mackenzie freezes in September - October, breaks open in May, downstream - in early June; food for snow and rain; spring-summer flood.
The river valley is formed by strata of alluvial and water-glacial deposits, is heavily swampy, covered with spruce forest.

13. Niger River
Niger (French Niger, English Niger [ˈnaɪdʒər], Yoruba Niger, Ọya) is the most important river in West Africa. The length is 4180 km, the basin area is 2 117 700 km ², the third in these parameters in Africa after the Nile and Congo.
The source of the river is on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Uplands in southeastern Guinea. The height of the source is 745 m above sea level. The river flows through the territory of Mali, Niger, along the border with Benin, and then through the territory of Nigeria. It flows into the Gulf of Guinea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta in the confluence area. The largest tributary of the Niger is the Benue River.
The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown and there has been a debate among researchers for a long time on this score.
The popular opinion is that the name of the river comes from the Tuareg nehier-ren - "river, flowing water". According to one of the hypotheses, the name of the river comes from the words “Yegerev Negerev”, which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means “great river” or “river of rivers”. This was the name of Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores.
There is also a hypothesis according to which the derivative of the name of the river is latin word niger, that is, "black". This hypothesis assumes that historically the words "Niger" and "Negro" are the same root, since the latter also comes from the word "black".
Aborigines living near the banks, in some parts of the course, call the river differently: Djoliba (in the Mandingo language - "big river"), Mayo, Eghirreu, Iso, Quorra (Quarra, Kovara), Baki-n-ruu, etc. etc., but at the same time the absolute majority of these names in translation mean "river".
The source is located on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Uplands in the southeast of Guinea. In the upper reaches, the river is called Djoliba. The river flows northeast, crosses the border with Mali. The upper and lower reaches of the Niger are rapids, flowing mainly in a narrow valley. In the middle reaches, the Niger has the character of a flat river. From the Guinean city of Kurusa to the Malian capital of Bamako, as well as below the city of Segu, the Niger flows through a wide valley and is navigable. Below the Malian city of Ke Masina, the Niger splits into several branches, forming an internal delta. In the area of ​​the inner delta, the Niger Valley is heavily swampy. Earlier in this place, the Niger flowed into a closed lake. In the Timbuktu area, numerous branches are connected into one channel. The river then flows east along the southern border of the Sahara for 300 km. Near the town of Burem, the Niger turns to the southeast and flows to the very mouth in a wide valley, navigable. The river flows through the territory of Niger, where there are numerous dry riverbeds (wadis) that once flowed into the Niger, along the Benin border, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea, forming a vast delta with an area of ​​24 thousand km². The longest arm of the delta is the Nun, but the deeper Forcados arm is used for shipping.
The main tributaries of the Niger: Milo, Bani (right); Sokoto, Kaduna and Benue (left).
The Niger is a relatively "clean" river, compared to the Nile, the turbidity of its water is about ten times less. This is due to the fact that the upper reaches of the Niger are rocky and do not carry a lot of silt. Like the Nile, the Niger spills every year. This starts in September, the spill peaks in November, and ends by May.
An unusual feature of the river is the so-called inner delta of the Niger, formed in the place of a strong decrease in the longitudinal channel slope. The terrain is an area of ​​multi-channel channel, marches and lakes the size of Belgium. It is 425 km long with an average width of 87 km. Seasonal spills make the inland delta extremely favorable for fishing and Agriculture.
Niger loses about two-thirds of its flow in the inner delta between Ségou and Timbuktu due to evaporation and filtration. Even the waters of the Bani River flowing into the delta near the town of Mopti are not enough to compensate for these losses. Average losses are estimated at 31 km³ / year (their size varies greatly from year to year).
Many tributaries flow into the Niger after the inner delta, but evaporation losses are still very high. The volume of water entering Nigeria in the Yola region was estimated at 25 km³ / year before the 1980s and 13.5 km³ / year during the eighties. The most important tributary of the Niger is the Benue, which merges with it in the Lokoji region. The volume of inflows to Nigeria is six times greater than the volume of Niger itself when it enters the country. By the Niger delta, the discharge increases to 177 km³ / year (data before the 1980s, during the eighties - 147.3 km³ / year.

This one of the largest rivers in Europe is also the birthplace of civilization. Danube is the sacred river of the Slavs. She is often mentioned in songs, tales, legends and stories of all Slavic peoples... In addition, the history of the Celts, Thracians, Illyrian and Greeks is linked to the history of the Danube. In ancient times, the Greeks called the Danube in the same way as the Thracians who lived along the banks of this river - Istra. And only later, already in Roman times, its modern name was fixed behind the river, which was pronounced and written as Danubius. In the 7th century BC, the Greeks founded a colony south of the river delta and named it Istria.
The ancients searched for the source of the river at the beginning of the Riphean Mountains. Then far in the north, and later in the country of the Celts in the Hercynian forest. But already in 15 BC in the reign of Tiberius, the true sources of the Danube were established: it begins on the massif now called the Black Forest with two sources at an altitude of 1 kilometer.
Since the reign of Augustus, the Danube became the border of the Roman state with the northern barbarians.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANUBE
Danube (Roman Dunărea, Hungarian Duna, German Donau, Serbian Danube, Slovak Dunaj, Bulgarian Danube, Croatian Dunav, Ukrainian Danube, Latin Danubius, Danuvius, Old Greek Ίστρος) - the second in length is a river in Europe (after the Volga), an "international" river, the longest river in the territory of the European Union.
Length - 2960 km.

The river originates in Germany, in the Black Forest mountains. Further, the Danube flows or is the border of ten states: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine; passing through the capitals of Central and Eastern Europe such as Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade. In addition to these ten countries, the Danube drainage basin covers the territories of another nine European states. The Danube flows into the Black Sea, forming a delta in Romania and Ukraine; the Romanian part of which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Russian name of the river goes back to praslav. * Dunajь, which was borrowed through Gothic. * Dōnawi from Celtic. Dānuvius. Polish scientist Jan Rozwadovsky suggested that the Slavs originally called the Dnieper with the word * Dunajь (as you can hear it in Ukrainian and Belarusian folklore). K. Moshinsky supported this assumption, believing that when part of the Slavs migrated to the vicinity of the Danube, whose name was originally borrowed as * Dunavъ / * Dunavь, the name was transferred from the previously known river. T. Ler-Splavinsky objected to Moshinsky, who pointed out that the word "Danube" and its derivatives are called a dozen rivers and streams in the territory of distribution Slavic languages moreover, this word functions as an appellative in Polish and Ukrainian dialects. In this regard, Ler-Splavinsky restores the common noun * dunajь "big water" for the Proto-Slavic language, which comes from the proto-Ie. * dhounā. The conclusions of Lera-Splavinsky were ignored in the work of V.N. Toporov and O.N. Trubachev "Linguistic analysis of the hydronyms of the Upper Dnieper", deriving the hydronym "Dunaets", found in the Slavic lands from the name of the Danube, for which this work was criticized by Z. Golomb ...

A river in Germany with steep cliffs, fragrant vineyards, ancient castles perched on almost every peak. It is shrouded in numerous myths and legends, including the beautiful siren Lorelei.
Main river in Germany is one of the most important shipping routes of Western European states. Born in the Swiss Alps and occupying a 224.4 thousand km2 basin, the deep river subsequently flows into the North Sea.
The Rhine Geographically, the Rhine is one of the most famous, longest and busiest rivers in Europe.
It takes its origin, as already mentioned, in the Alps. The river covers most of Switzerland, all of Liechtenstein, as well as a large area in Germany and the Netherlands, areas in eastern France, western Austria.
There are many cities along the picturesque banks of the mighty river.
The Rhine is a river in Germany, the name of which comes from the Celtic word renos ("raging stream"), arises as a noisy and seething stream, raging in deep gorges. Its mighty flow stops slightly when the river path passes through Lake Boden. Further, the stream makes its way west to Basel.
There, the river turns north and enters the Rhine Graben, a fault zone of the East African Plateau, located between the Vosges Mountains in the west and the Black Forest in the east. The picturesque Rhine Valley (North German Plain) stretches along the settlements of Bingen and Bonn. The largest cities located on the banks of the Rhine (a river in Germany) are Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Rotterdam, the leading port in continental Europe, is located near the mouth of the river. At the border with the Netherlands, the stream divides into two parallel branches of the delta, Lek and Val, crossing a wide and slightly marshy plain.

the city of Cologne and the Cologne Cathedral

River cruises

The picturesque Rhine (a river in Germany), along the banks of which numerous medieval castles and towers are comfortably located, is a real attraction in several states at once. The Rhine shines with indescribable beauty in the evenings, especially on New Year's Eve, at this time a huge number of tourists and travelers come here who want to enjoy with their own eyes the wonderful spectacle of a romantic show with stunning fireworks.
A variety of boarding houses, where you can rent a cozy room, as well as many bars and restaurants, offer their services for the temporary stay of tourists.
Shipping
The shipping company was launched on the Rhine at the beginning of the 19th century, namely in 1817. From Basel to Kehl, shipping and shipping are not used on a large scale; ships with a carrying capacity of no more than 400 centners can pass through this area. From Kehl to Plittersdorf ships can reach 2-3 thousand centners, and, starting from these places, shipping acquires considerable commercial importance.
Vessels weighing up to 12 thousand centners can pass up to Mannheim. The tributaries of the Rhine The Rhine is the most big river in Germany - about 1233 km long, of which 865 km - in Germany. It is considered one of the most important waterways in Europe. A large number of large and also small rivers flow into the Rhine (a river in Germany).
The main tributary from Alsace, Illinois, joins it at Strasbourg. The shorter rivers Dreisam and Kinzig, which flow into the Rhine, flow out of the Black Forest. The Neckar, which flows through the gorge to Heidelberg, enters the Rhine in Mannheim.
The Middle Rhine is the most exciting and romantic part of the river. High banks cover vineyards up to the village of Koblenz, where another tributary, the Moselle, joins the Rhine.

On the right bank, where the most beautiful Ehrenbreitstein fortress rises, the Lahn River flows into a mighty waterway. Below the city of Bonn, the Rhine Valley opens up to a wide plain, where the ancient city of Cologne is conveniently located on the left bank of the river. The longest river in Europe The longest river (Rhine) on the map of Europe runs through or borders states such as Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Its length is over a thousand kilometers.
The Rhine flows through six countries and is culturally and historically one of the largest and deepest rivers on the continent. It is also the most important industrial and transport artery in the world. The main river in Germany also plays an important role in trade links. Despite the fact that practically along its entire length, the railway tracks are located parallel. The Rhine is a river that flows through the most densely populated and rich in natural resources and industrialized European countries.

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Russia occupies a vast geographic area, and it is not surprising that numerous rivers stretch across its expanses, which have played an important historical role in the settlement and development of new lands. Almost everything is located on the rivers Largest cities country.

In total, there are about 3 million rivers on the territory of the Russian Federation, and all of them are an important component of the life of many people, animals and plants. Rivers provide us with food, water, electricity, places to rest, and also serve as transport routes connecting different settlements. It is an irreplaceable source of water for agriculture and industry.

In this article you can get acquainted with the largest rivers in Russia, get them brief description and see the geographic location on the map of the country.

Rivers of the Russian Federation

Map of the largest rivers of Russia

The country's territory is divided into European and Asian parts. The dividing line is usually considered the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. The rivers of the European part flow into the North Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea. The rivers of the Asian part flow into the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

The largest rivers in European Russia are the Volga, Don, Kama, Oka and Northern Dvina, while some rivers originate in Russia but flow into other countries, such as the Dnieper and Western Dvina. The following large rivers flow through the Asian expanses of the country: Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma.

Of the five main drainage basins: the Arctic, Pacific, Baltic, Black Sea and Caspian, the first, located in Siberia and including the northern part of the Russian Plain, is the most extensive. To a greater extent, this basin is filled with the three largest rivers of Russia: the Ob (3650 km), which, together with its main tributary, the Irtysh River, forms a river system with a length of 5410 km, the Yenisei (3487 km), and the Lena (4400 km). The sum of their catchment areas exceeds 8 million km², and the total water consumption is about 50,000 m³ / s.

The large rivers of Siberia provide transport arteries from the interior to the Arctic Sea Route, although they are blocked by ice for a long period each year. The slight slope of the Ob River makes it slowly meander along the huge floodplain. Due to the northward current, from the headwaters to the lower boundaries of the thaw, extensive flooding occurs quite often, leading to the development of huge swamps. The Vasyugan bogs in the Ob-Irtysh interfluve cover an area of ​​more than 50,000 km².

The rivers of the rest of Siberia (about 4.7 million km²) flow into the Pacific Ocean. In the north, where the watershed is close to the coast, numerous small, fast rivulets flow down the mountains, but most of southeastern Siberia is drained by the Amur River. For a greater stretch of its length, the Amur forms the border separating Russia and China. Ussuri, one of the Amur tributaries, forms another significant border line between the countries.

Three major drainage basins located in the European part of Russia south of the Arctic basin. The Dnieper, only the upper reaches of which are in Russia, as well as the Don and Volga, is the longest European river, originating in the northwest of the Valdai Upland and flowing into the Caspian Sea. Second only to the Siberian rivers, the Volga basin covers an area of ​​1,380,000 km². The rivers of the East European Plain have long served as important transport arteries; in fact, the Volga river system provides two-thirds of the traffic of the entire Russian inland waterway.

10 largest and longest rivers in Russia

Many mighty rivers flow through the territory of the Russian Federation, but the size of some of them is truly impressive. Below is a list and maps of the country's largest rivers, both in length and in catchment area.

Lena

The Lena River is one of the longest rivers on the planet. It originates near Lake Baikal in southern Russia and flows to the west, and then, above Yakutsk, smoothly turns north, where it flows into the Laptev Sea (basin of the Arctic Ocean). Near its mouth, the river forms a huge 32,000 km delta, which is the largest in the Arctic and the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia.

The Lena Delta, which floods every spring, serves as an important nesting and migration area for birds and also supports a rich fish population. The river is home to 92 planktonic species, 57 benthos species and 38 fish species. Sturgeon, burbot, chum salmon, whitefish, nelma and albula are the most commercially important fish species.

Swans, dippers, geese, ducks, plovers, sandpipers, snipe, phalaropes, terns, skuas, predator birds, sparrows and gulls are just some of the migratory birds that nest in the Lena's productive wetlands.

Ob

The Ob is the seventh longest river in the world, stretching over a distance of 3650 kilometers in the West Siberian region of the Russian Federation. This river, which is of great economic importance for Russia, arises at the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers in Altai. It mainly passes through the country, although many of its tributaries originate in China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The Ob is connected to its largest tributary by the Irtysh River, about 69 ° east longitude. It flows into the Kara Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, forming Ob Bay... The river has a huge catchment area of ​​about 2.99 million km².

The habitat surrounding the Ob consists of endless expanses of steppe and taiga flora in the upper and middle reaches of the river. Birches, pines, firs and cedars are some of the famous trees growing in these areas. Thickets of willow, wild rose and bird cherry also grow along the watercourse. The river basin is replete with aquatic flora and fauna, including more than 50 species of fish (sturgeon, carp, perch, nelma and peled, etc.) and about 150 species of birds. Minks, wolves, Siberian moles, otters, beavers, ermines and other native mammals. In the lower reaches of the Ob, arctic tundra, characterized by snowy landscapes throughout most of the year. Polar bears, arctic foxes, snowy owls and arctic hares represent this region.

Volga

The longest river in Europe, the Volga, which is often considered the national river of Russia, has a large basin covering almost two-thirds of European Russia. The Volga originates in the northwest of the Valdai Upland, and flows southward, overcoming 3530 km, where it flows into the Caspian Sea. About 200 tributaries join the river along the entire route. Eleven large cities of the country, including Moscow, are based along the Volga basin, which covers an area of ​​1.36 million km².

The climate in the river basin changes along its course from north to south. In the northern regions, prevails temperate climate with cold snowy winters and warm humid summers. The southern regions are characterized by cool winters and hot dry summers. The Volga Delta is one of the richest habitats, home to 430 plant species, 127 fish species, 260 bird species and 850 aquatic species.

Yenisei

The mouth of the Yenisei River is located near the city of Kazyl, where it merges with the Small Yenisei River, which originates in Mongolia and flows northward, where it drains a huge territory of Siberia, before flowing into the Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean), having made a path of 3487 km. The Angara River, which flows out of Lake Baikal, is one of the main tributaries of the upper Yenisei.

The waters of the Yenisei are home to about 55 species of local fish, including Siberian sturgeon, flounder, roach, northern pike, Siberian gudgeon, tench and sterlet. Most of the river basin is surrounded by, mainly consisting of the following species of conifers: fir, cedar, pine and larch. In some areas of the upper reaches of the Yenisei, there are also steppe pastures. In the north, boreal forests give way to arctic ones. Musk deer, elk, roe deer and japanese mouse- some species of mammals living in the conditions of taiga forests along the river. Also, there are such birds as Siberian blue robin, Siberian lentils, wood grouse and wood snipe. Ducks, geese and swans are found in the lower reaches during the summer season.

Lower Tunguska

The Lower Tunguska is a right tributary of the Yenisei, flowing through Irkutsk region and Krasnoyarsk region of Russia. Its length is 2989 km, and the basin area is 473 thousand km². The river stretches near the watershed between the Yenisei and Lena river basins and flows north and then west through the Central Siberian Plateau.

In the upper reaches, the river forms a wide valley with numerous shoals, but after turning to the west, the valley narrows, and numerous gorges and rapids appear. The vast Tunguska coal basin lies in the river basin.

Amur

Amur is the tenth longest river in the world, located in East Asia and forms the border between Far Eastern District Russian Federation and Northeast China. The river originates at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The Amur flows for 2825 km to the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and empties into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The river has many vegetation zones in different parts of its basin, including taiga forests and swamps, Manchu mixed forests, Amur meadow steppes, forest-steppe, steppes and tundra. The wetlands along the Amur Basin are some of the most valuable ecosystems that are home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. It is an important home for millions of migratory birds, including white storks and Japanese cranes. The river basin is home to over 5000 species of vascular plants, 70 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. Rare and endangered species such as Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard are the most iconic mammalian species in the region. A wide variety of fish species live in the waters of the Amur: about 100 species in the lower reaches and 60 in the upper. Chum salmon, burbot and whitefish are some of the most commercially important northern fish species.

Viluy

Vilyui is a river in Central and Eastern Siberia, flowing mainly through the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the east of Russia. This is the largest tributary of the Lena, 2650 km long and a basin area of ​​about 454 thousand km².

Vilyui originates on the Central Siberian Plateau and first flows eastward, then south and southeast, and again eastward to the confluence with the Lena (about 300 km northwest of the city of Yakutsk). The river and adjacent reservoirs are rich in commercial fish species.

Kolyma

With a length of more than 2100 kilometers and a basin area of ​​643 thousand km², the Kolyma is the largest river in Eastern Siberia, flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The upper reaches of this river system began to develop in the Cretaceous period, when the main watershed between the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Arctic Ocean was formed.

At the beginning of its journey, Kolyma makes its way through narrow gorges with numerous rapids. Gradually, its valley widens, and below the confluence with the Zyryanka River, it flows through the wide swampy Kolyma Lowland, and then flows into the East Siberian Sea.

Ural

The Ural is a large river flowing in Russia and Kazakhstan, 2428 km long (1550 km on the territory of the Russian Federation), and a basin area of ​​about 231 thousand km². The river originates in Ural mountains on the slopes of the Kruglaya Sopka and flows in a southerly direction. In the city of Orsk, it turns sharply to the west through the southern outskirts of the Urals, past Orenburg, and again turns south, heading towards the Caspian Sea. Its flow has a large spring maximum, and freeze-up lasts from late November to April. The river is navigated to the city of Oral in Kazakhstan. The dam and hydroelectric power station were built on the Iriklinsky reservoir, south of the city of Magnitogorsk.

The wetlands in the Ural Delta are especially important for migratory birds as the main refuge along the Asian flyway. The river is also important for many species of fish in the Caspian Sea that visit its deltas and migrate upstream for spawning. In the lower reaches of the river, there are 47 species from 13 families. The family of cyprinids accounts for 40% of the species diversity of fish, sturgeon and herring - 11%, perches - 9% and salmonids - 4.4%. The main commercial species are sturgeon, roach, bream, pike perch, carp, asp and catfish. TO rare species include Caspian salmon, sterlet, nelma and kutum. In the Urals delta and the surrounding areas, there are about 48 species of animals, of which 21 species are taught to the detachment of rodents.

Don

The Don is one of the largest rivers in the Russian Federation and the 5th longest river in Europe. Its basin is located between the Dnieper-Donetsk depression in the west, the Volga basin in the east, and the basin of the Oka River (a tributary of the Volga) in the north.

The Don originates in the city of Novomoskovsk 60 km southeast of Tula (120 km south of Moscow), and flows for a distance of about 1870 km to Sea of ​​Azov... From its source, the river goes southeast to Voronezh, and then southwest to its mouth. The main tributary of the Don is the Seversky Donets.

Table of the largest rivers of the Russian Federation

River name	Length in Russia, km	Total length, km	Swimming pool, km²	Water consumption, m³ / s	Place of confluence (estuary)
R. Lena	4400	4400	2.49 million	16350	Laptevih sea
R. Ob	3650	3650	2.99 million	12492	Kara Sea
R. Volga	3530	3530	1.36 million	8060	Caspian Sea
R. Yenisei	3487	3487	2.58 million	19800	Kara Sea
R. Lower Tunguska	2989	2989	473 thousand	3680	R. Yenisei
R. Amur	2824	2824	1.86 million	12800	Sea of ​​Okhotsk
R. Viluy	2650	2650	454 thousand	1468	R. Lena
R. Kolyma	2129	2129	643 thousand	3800	East-Siberian Sea
R. Ural	1550	2428	231 thousand	400	Caspian Sea
R. Don	1870	1870	422 thousand	900	Azov sea

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

1. Amazon (6992 km)

The deepest river in the world, 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 catchment basin in terms of area. It provides 15% of the spillway of all rivers in the world. Its source is the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers. To clarify the length of the river, we had to use satellite imagery. 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 - about 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 conceded the world palm to the Amazon, the Nile in Africa undoubtedly remained the leader in length. The Nile begins on the East African Plateau and flows northward, 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)

The great Chinese Yangtze River originates behind the clouds in Tibet - at an altitude of 5600 meters among the glaciers, after which it crosses the whole country until it meets the South China Sea. The basin of this mighty river covers an area of ​​1.8 million square meters. km. It is the third longest river in the world, and the first in all of Eurasia. China is divided by the river into northern and southern parts. For the country, the importance of the Yangtze cannot be exaggerated: a cascade of powerful hydroelectric power plants has been built here, the largest Chinese cities have been built along its banks. In addition, together with the Yellow River, it is the most important river for China in cultural and historical terms.

4. Yellow River (5464 km)

Yellow River, which means “ Yellow River"- the second largest in China. It was named so for a reason - in its painted in yellow waters it carries millions of tons of loess from the Shaanxi Plateau. It also starts high in the Tibetan mountains, then flows eastward until it flows into the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River is considered to be the cradle of the great Chinese civilization. The river is constantly changing its course. Water from it is used not only for irrigation, but also drink 140 million Chinese. There are also many large Chinese cities along the banks of the river.

5. Mekong (4500 km)

The "River of Nine Dragons" or Mekong flows through the territory of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China. It is the largest waterway on the Indochina Peninsula. It starts in 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 the cultivation of this crop. But the hydropower resources of the Mekong are used extremely poorly. The Mekong has one of the largest deltas in the world (Vietnam). V 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 entirely located on the territory of the country. It originates from the Baikal ridge, at an altitude of 1470 meters, where there is a small swamp. Below Yakutsk, two full-flowing tributaries - Vilyui and Aldan flow into the Lena, making it a mighty 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, which do not allow the river to flood strongly and accelerate its flow. Finally, near the mouth, the Lena slows down, breaks up into many branches, forming an extensive delta, and then flows into the Laptev Sea. 4400 km - the length of the river, taking into account the delta, sometimes another value appears, 4294 km - the length of the river without taking into account the Bykovskaya channel.

7. Parana (4380 km)

It is the second river in South America after the Amazon. The Parana flows from north to south of the mainland through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina to the confluence near Buenos Aires into the Gulf of La Plata in the Atlantic Ocean. Parana is navigable for sea ships all the way to the city of Rosario. The river (in its middle reaches) is crossed by the border of two states - Paraguay and Argentina, and downstream its bank became the western border of the low-lying area of ​​Argentina's Mesopotamia.

8. Congo (4374 km)

One of the largest rivers in Africa is the Congo (or Zaire), which flows in the equatorial regions of the continent and is second only to the Nile in length. There are many states in the Congo basin: the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the 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, is of great 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 world's longest tributary. The Irtysh-Ob river system, which is 5410 kilometers long, 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, which was laid to provide 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 3784 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, reminiscent of 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 into opposite side by drawing myself a much longer unusual path all the way to the same Atlantic Ocean.

11. Mississippi (3770 km)

The Mississippi is the longest river in North America. It originates in northern Minnesota, in Lake Itasca, then flows south, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Its largest tributary is another large river, the Missouri, which follows on its heels on 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, the Mississippi means "great (big) river". For the country's economy, this river is of great importance - there is a brisk navigation along it, a lot of passengers and cargo are transported.

There are a wide variety of dangerous places on our planet, which have recently begun to attract a special category of extreme tourists looking for ...

12. Missouri (3,767 km)

It was already mentioned above that the Missouri is the largest tributary of the Mississippi in length, but it is only 3m behind in length. The source of Missouri is in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Flowing to the southeast, the river flows into the area of ​​the city of St. Louis in the Mississippi. Missouri shipping is going through Hard times... The amount of cargo transported by barges has been inexorably decreasing for several decades. At first, this was facilitated by the construction of dams on the river, and then increased competition among other modes of transport, mainly from the railroad. Currently, various projects are being developed to revive the former shipping and the need for Missouri for the country's 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 takes its origin in Altai, in the place where two rivers - Katun and Biya merge. The Ob 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 at the Valdai Upland, after which it slowly flows along the Central Russian Upland, before the Ural foothills turns to the south and heads towards the Caspian Sea. It is noteworthy that at the mouth of the Volga it falls 28 meters below sea level.

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 plants 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 effect on the local ecology.

Life on Earth is impossible without fresh water, the main supplier of which is waterways. The largest rivers were originally the cradle of human civilization.

It is difficult to overestimate their importance, it is not for nothing that they are called the rivers of life. This is drinking water, and the solution of the food problem, farming, and obtaining electrical energy, without which modern life on the planet is impossible, and, finally, transport links.

Let's take a look at the top five leaders - the world's greatest blue arteries.

The list of honor is headed by the Amazon - the heart of South America.

Until recently, this great river was considered only the second longest on the planet after the Nile. But, having taken the source of the Ucayali as the true starting point, scientists have now officially recognized the Amazon as the longest waterway in the world, the length of which is over 7000 km.

This river contains the largest volume of water in the world. Originating in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes, the flow reaches the Brazilian delta and is lost in the Atlantic Ocean. It absorbs the power of 40% of the waters of South America.

The largest river on the planet overflows during the rainy season so much that under its waters there are forests with an area of ​​the territory of England, and during a drought, tons of fish are isolated in the formed lagoons. This creates a predator's paradise.

There are a lot of caimans - reptiles of the crocodile family. There are several million of them thanks to state program on the protection of caimans, but only 30-40 years ago this species of crocodiles was on the verge of extinction.

In the depths of the blue artery, about 3000 species of fish live, of which only 2/3 are well studied. The legendary Amazonian inia, a species of river dolphin, is also found here. The length of this exotic animal reaches 3 meters, and its weight is 90 kg. The Amazonian inia's brain is 40% larger than that of a human. Animals are incredibly intelligent and naturally very playful. There are such dolphins of different shades - from light gray to pink. And although they are naturally blind, nature gave them special organs - sonars, with the help of which they unmistakably find food for themselves.

The Amazon crosses across all of South America: from the Peruvian headwaters to the Brazilian delta. The river basin is confused by thousands of tributaries flowing into the largest artery on earth. Although its glacial origins lie high in the Peruvian Andes, the history of the Amazon begins 1,800 km downstream, where the Ucayali and Marañon rivers meet. Only after their confluence in the jungles of Peru is the river called the Amazon.

About 4,000 km downstream, the dark, clear waters of the Rio Negro River flow into the murky stream of the Amazon. 11 km of black and brown waters flow side-by-side before finally mixing together. With a width of more than 8 km and a depth of up to 100 m, in this place the Amazon turns into a trade route along which goods from the heart of the jungle (forest, soybeans) can enter the open sea.

To its 240-kilometer delta, the waterway comes out with such force that it pushes the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean 100 km from the land. The power of its flow is incredible!

The waters of the Amazon dominate everything that surrounds its shores. And although it flows through one of the most remote regions of the planet, 7 million people live on its shores. Neither the inhabitants of abandoned villages, nor the townspeople of bustling megacities can control the power of the largest river, adapting to the rules of life that it dictates to them.

Up to several hundred meters deep and up to 40 km wide, the largest river is also the deepest in the world. Man still has not been able to curb this majestic and capricious river. From the source to the very mouth, not a single bridge crosses it, not a single dam slows down its flow.

During the rainy season, the volume of the water flow increases dramatically, the water level rises by 20 meters. And the area occupied by the river triples. It is these powerful fluctuations in the water level that make it impossible to conquer the Amazon.

The strength of its waters and the inaccessible terrain through which it flows, for many centuries protected the Amazon from harmful human intervention. Until recently, it was still believed that nothing threatens these virgin forests of the river basin. But aggressive commercial activity man, the development of lands destroys the jungle and the protection they gave to the river is gradually disappearing. But the trees of the Amazon produce about 20% of the oxygen on Earth.

Today, the region's delicate ecological balance is on the brink of no return. The river itself, its flora and fauna, and the people living here are more vulnerable than ever.

Only thanks to this river, which has been considered sacred since antiquity, people can survive in the most difficult conditions of an arid climate and a shortage of fertile soils. After a spill, during the rainy season, the world's second longest waterway leaves behind fertile silt, allowing rice and other crops to be cultivated on its shores. The length of this fertile water stream is 6852 km, and the area of ​​its basin exceeds 3.3 million square meters. km.

A stream begins in the East African Plateau. It carries its waters from the south to the north of the African continent and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The river separates the Arabian Desert from the Libyan Desert. In different places, the width of the valley of life ranges from 1 km to 25 km.

95% of the country's population lives in the valley of this greatest river. The Blue Artery Delta is the most fertile area on Earth, with 3 harvests per year.

This greatest and deepest stream of Eurasia is the third in the world ranking of the largest rivers on the planet.

The length of the blue artery is 6.3 thousand km, and the area of ​​its basin is more than 1.8 million square meters. km. The river originates in the Tibetan plateau. Passing the Sino-Tibetan Mountains, the Yangtze flows into the Sichuan Basin. On this section of the route, the river is especially beautiful, its path passes through deep gorges, famous for their difficult passability. Thanks to fast flow, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, called the Three Gorges, has been built along this stretch of the route.

Further, the river makes its way along the southern part of the Great Plain of China. Its waters are replenished by four of the five largest lakes in China. Dividing into branches, at the mouth the water stream forms a delta with an area of ​​about 80 thousand square meters. km. The Yangtze flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Many bridges have been built across the Yangtze, but the Sutunsky one should be especially noted, which is the world's first longest cable-stayed structure. Its length is 8 km.

The blue artery delta is home to alligators and paddlefish, the largest freshwater fish on the planet. Moreover, this is the only place on earth where alligators are found outside the United States of America. There is also a lot of such industrial fish as carp, grass carp, silver carp.

The river has a yellowish color due to the numerous deposits from loess soils, which is why the Chinese called it the "Yellow River". The sea into which the river flows is also called Yellow.

The Yellow River is the fourth in the world list of the greatest rivers, its length is 5464 km, and the area of ​​the water basin is 700 thousand square meters. km.

The waterway originates in the mountains of Tibet. Further, its path passes along the marshy plain of Sin-Su-Hai, where the river replenishes its waters and merges with the lakes Tsarin-nor and Norin-nor, which are separated by a channel. Passing through the mountain ranges of Kunlun and Nanshan, the river, forming a large bend, goes out into the vastness of the Great China Plain and then flows into the Yellow Sea.

Like the Nile, after the Yangtze is flooded, it leaves a lot of fertile silt on its banks, which helps the people of China in agriculture. However, the Yellow River often overflows its banks and changes its course, and even numerous dams cannot calm its stormy and unpredictable nature.

The river was once rich different kinds flora and fauna. But now there are practically no living beings in it, since toxic waste from oil refineries and other harmful industries is merged into its waters. And although the local authorities annually allocate money to clean it, this does not bring tangible results. About 30% of the Yellow River waters are not suitable even for industrial use.

The largest Russian river is the fifth in the world among the longest water streams in the world. She closes our five largest waterways of the planet.

The length of the Ob is 5410 km. The river basin area is almost 3 million square meters. km. At the junction of the Katun and Biya, in Altai, the largest water stream originates. The river flows into the Kara Sea, having previously formed the Gulf of Ob (800-km bay).

The river gives life-giving moisture to 30 million people, because the population of three countries of the world lives on its banks: Russia, China and Kazakhstan.

The largest water flow is of great importance for the industrial and economic development of the adjacent territories. Here oil and gas are extracted, large-scale development and extraction of peat deposits are carried out. In addition, the Ob is a navigable river. Both freight and passenger traffic is developed on the river.

However, the pool waterway rich in numerous species of valuable industrial fish species. One third of the world's fish production comes from the Ob catches. The wealth of the Ob is sterlet, whitefish, omul, muksun. It contains a lot of pike, pike perch, ide and burbot.