Big Rivers

Oder

Along with the Neisse, this river forms the Germany-Poland border, as dictated at the Potsdam Conference in July and August of 1945. One of the largest rivers to enter the Baltic, it has been a major transport route for centuries. Ostrava in the Czech Republic and Breslau in Poland are on the river. Near its mouth is Stettin, which Churchill used as the northern terminus of his "Iron Curtain" (Trieste, in the South, is an Adriatic port not near a major river). At the mouth of this river are Usedom Island, Swinemuende, and Peenemuende, which were primary test sites for the German V-2 rocket in the 1940s.

Shannon

At 230 miles, this river is Ireland's longest river. It flows from Lough Allen, and Loughs Ree and Derg are also on its course. At Limerick, this river widens into its namesake estuary and runs for 50 more miles before it enters the Atlantic. Peat bogs and marshes line this river for much of its course, and it is considered a dividing line between Ireland's more cultivated east and wild west. A chief tributary is the Suck River. This river does not pass through Dublin, although the Liffey does.

Loire

France's longest, this river begins in the Cevennes range of southern France, flows north to the center of the country, then flows due west to the Bay of Biscay. Many notable cities are on the river, including Nevers, Orleans, Blois, Tours, and Nantes. This river is sometimes called the "last wild river in Western Europe," and many proposed dams on the river have not been built because of opposition to the flooding of land and to interference with Atlantic salmon. This river's namesake valley is particularly known for its vineyards and for its châteaux, a collection of over 300 castles dating to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Po

Italy's longest at 405 miles, it passes through Piedmont and Lombardy before entering the Adriatic 30 miles south of Venice. It flows through Turin and Cremona, and it passes near Milan, Padua, Pavia, and Mantua. This river has a long history of floods, and the manmade levees called argini which protect towns and crops can exacerbate the floods. Pollution, especially from Milan, is becoming a major environmental concern.

Danube

Most of this river is in Eastern Europe, but it begins in Germany's Black Forest (or Schwarzwald) near Freiburg, crossing Bavaria before it enters Austria. In all, it passes through (or touches the borders of) 10 nations on its 1,785-mile course ending at the Black Sea. Chief tributaries include the Drava and Sava, and it passes through 4 national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. Formerly known as the Ister, this river was often used to define a northern border for the Roman Empire.

Rhone

One of Europe's few major rivers to flow directly into the Mediterranean (via the Gulf of Lion), this river originates in the Swiss Alps and flows into Lake Geneva. It emerges at Geneva and flows south, passes through Lyon, Avignon, and Arles, and enters the sea just west of Marseille. At Arles, the river splits into "grand" and "petit" branches which encircle the island of Camargue. This river's valley is famous for its red wine, and because it is navigable for 300 miles, this river is the key access route of southern France.

Thames

Running from its namesake head near Cirencester to an estuary near Southend in Essex, this river is the principal river of England and flows through central London. The Houses of Parliament and the London Eye overlook this river, as does Big Ben. Flowing through Reading, Oxford, and Swindon, this river is prevented from flooding London by its namesake Barrier near the Isle of Dogs. Though it is the longest river entirely in England, this river trails the Severn (which also flows into Wales) as the longest river in the United Kingdom.

Congo

This 2,900 mile long river forms the shape of a "U," allowing it to cross the equator twice. This river begins at the Boyoma/Stanley Falls, which the Lualaba turns into it. It mostly flows through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but it eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Angola, at the city of Moanda. This river is notable for going right through the middle of the twin capital cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville. This river is also the worlds deepest and discharges the second highest volume of water. This river was named after the 17th century indiginous people who lived on its banks.

Zambezi

This 4th largest river in Africa flows through the countries of Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It begins in the wetlands of northwestern Zambia, in a natural reserve, and flows eastward to the Indian Ocean. This river is notable for the Victoria Falls, Chavuma Falls, Angola Falls, Kariba Dam, and Cahora Bassa Dam.

Potomac

This is one of America's most historic waterways. Rising at Fairfax Stone in West Virginia, this river runs 405 miles, forming the border between Virginia and Maryland. Washington, D.C. was sited on this river at its confluence with the Anacostia River. George Washington's plantation Mount Vernon was on this river, while Robert E. Lee's two invasions north of this river were major events of the Civil War.

Rhine

This river begins in the Swiss Alps, passes through Lake Constance (in German, the Bodensee), flows west along the German-Swiss border, then turns north to form part of the German-French border. This river then flows north and joins with the Meuse and Scheldt to enter the North Sea at a delta in the Netherlands. Cities along its course include Basel, Strasbourg, Mainz, Bonn, Cologne, and Rotterdam, and tributaries include the Main, Mosel, and Ruhr. This river has played a strategic role in most German conflicts since the time of the Gallic Wars, but was not established as an international waterway until its namesake Commission of 1815. German myth tells of the Lorelei, a nymph who lured sailors on this river to their deaths.

Euphrates

This river defines the western border of Mesopotamia; it also rises in the Zagros Mountains of Turkey and its shores are home to Fallujah and Babylon. It is the longer of the two rivers with a course of 1,740 miles (compared to the Tigris' 1,180). Both the Tigris and this river have changed courses several times leaving ruins in the desert where cities have been abandoned.

St. Lawrence

This river drains the Great Lakes and serves as a major waterway of eastern Canada. First explored and named by Jacques Cartier in the early 16th century, this river emerges from the northeastern corner of Lake Ontario in the Thousand Islands archipelago, forming the border between Ontario and New York. This river receives the Ottawa and Saguenay Rivers and flows through Montreal and Quebec City. At its mouth, this river's namesake gulf is one of the world's largest estuaries.

Ohio

This river flows 981 miles through a significant industrial region of the central United States. Historically seen as the border between the northern and southern United States, this river is formed in downtown Pittsburgh by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, flowing past Wheeling, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Evansville, forming borders of five states before emptying into the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. Other major tributaries of this river include the Kanawha, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wabash, and Cumberland Rivers.

Hudson

This river has been a historically significant American river since the early 17th century. Named for an English explorer with first name Henry, it flows 315 miles through eastern New York state. After receiving the Mohawk River, this river flows past New York's capital of Albany and West Point before forming the boundary between Manhattan and New Jersey. This river is also culturally significant as an inspiration for Washington Irving and a namesake school of landscape painters.

Rio Grande

This river has formed the border between Texas and four Mexican states since 1848. It flows south out of Colorado through New Mexico before reaching the international boundary near El Paso. Texas's Big Bend National Park is named for the sweeping curve this river cuts through the Sierra Madre Oriental. After leaving the mountains, this river flows past Laredo and Brownsville before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

Volta

This river is Ghana's main waterway, as it flows through the country's Akwapim-Togoland highlands. It has three tributaries: the Black, White, and Red versions of this river, which all begin in the country of Burkina Faso. The Black tributary forms the border between Burkina Faso and Ghana. The Akosombo Dam, located on this river, forms its namesake lake. Another, smaller, tributery of this river is called the Oti and comes from Togo.

Missouri

This river is North America's longest, at 2,341 miles. It is formed in western Montana by the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers. It flows past Bismarck, North Dakota and Kansas City before emptying into the Mississippi just north of St. Louis. Lewis and Clark used this river as a route for exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. This river is regulated by a number of major dams, including Fort Peck in Montana and Oahe Dam in South Dakota.

Columbia

This river is a vital waterway of the Pacific Northwest. Rising in the Rockies of its namesake province, this river flows through Lake Revelstoke before entering Washington state. Grand Coulee Dam along this river in Washington forms Lake Roosevelt. When it was completed in 1943, Grand Coulee was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world; it is still America's largest electric power plant. This receives the Yakima and Snake Rivers before forming much of the Washington-Oregon border, receiving the Willamette River in Portland before emptying into the Pacific where Lewis and Clark sighted the ocean.

Irrawaddy

This river is the chief river of Myanmar (also known as Burma). It flows 1,350 miles past Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and Mandalay to the Gulf of Martaban, an arm of the Bay of Bengal. Its delta is one of the world's most important rice-growing regions, and its name is thought to come from the Sanskrit word for "elephant."

Indus

This river is the chief river of Pakistan as well as being the ultimate source of the name of India. It rises in Tibet and flows 1,800 miles to a delta on the Arabian Sea southeast of Karachi. The five major tributaries of the Indus, the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej Rivers, are the source of the name of the Punjab region, which is Persian for "Land of the Five Rivers". This river is the cradle of a namesake civilization, one of the world's earliest urban areas, whose main cities were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.

Mekong

This river is the chief river of Southeast Asia. It originates in eastern Tibet, forms much of the Laos-Thailand border, flows south through Cambodia, and enters the South China Sea in southern Vietnam just south of Ho Chi Minh City. The capital cities of Vientiane and Phnom Penh are on this river. The building of dams and clearing of rapids are a source of diplomatic conflict between China, Laos, and Cambodia.

Tigris

This river is the easternmost of the two that define the historic region of Mesopotamia (meaning, "The Land Between Two Rivers") that was home to the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Akkad. It rises in Turkey, then flows southeast by Mosul, Tikrit, and Baghdad before joining the Euphrates to make the Shatt-al-Arab, which subsequently empties into the Persian Gulf.

Ganges

This river is the holiest river of Hinduism. It rises in the Himalayas and flows a comparatively short 1,560 miles to the world's largest delta on the Bay of Bengal. Among that delta's distributaries are the Hooghly (on whose banks Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) may be found) and the Padma (which enters Bangladesh). Approximately one in every twelve human beings lives in this river's namesake basin, a population density that is rapidly polluting the river; a significant source of that pollution is cremated remains.

Yangtze

This river is the longest in China and Asia and the third longest in the world. It rises in the Kunlun Mountains, flows across the Tibetan Plateau, passes the cities of Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai, and empties into the South China Sea. Its basin is China's granary and is home to nearly one in every three Chinese citizens. This river has been in the news for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest, which will reduce flooding but displace 1.5 million people and bury more than 1,300 known archaeological sites.

Mackenzie

This river is the longest river of Canada. Flowing 1,080 miles out of the Great Slave Lake, this river flows past Fort Providence and Fort Simpson in Canada's Northwest Territories, emptying into a vast delta on the Beaufort Sea. This river is the largest river flowing into the Arctic Ocean from North America. It was named for a Scottish explorer with first name Andrew, who crossed Canada to the Pacific ten years before Lewis and Clark.

Colorado

This river is the most significant river of the southwestern United States. Beginning in Rocky Mountain National Park in its namesake state, this river runs southwest for 1,450 miles to the Gulf of California in northwestern Mexico. This river formed numerous canyons along much of its length, most notably the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This river also has significant dams such as Hoover Dam near Las Vegas (forming Lake Mead) and Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona (forming Lake Powell). Water from this river is brought to California's Imperial Valley by the All-American Canal. This river created the now-shrinking Salton Sea in southern California.

Tagus

This river is the principal river of the Iberian Peninsula. Rising in east-central Spain, it flows west for roughly 645 miles to the Atlantic, passing through Lisbon, Portugal on the way. The cities of Toledo and Santarém are on this river, and hydroelectric dams on the river produce huge artificial lakes including the Sea of Castile.

Mississippi

This river is the second-longest in North America behind the Missouri. Referred to by Abraham Lincoln as "the father of waters," this river begins at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and flows 2,340 miles to a vast delta on the Gulf of Mexico, forming portions of ten state borders and the world's third-largest drainage basin. This river picks up numerous major tributaries, including the Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and Red Rivers and flows past numerous major cities including Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans.

Yellow

This river is, at 3,400 miles, China's second-longest; it is also the most important to the northern half of the country. It rises in Qinghai province and flows into the Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea. This river's name comes from the extraordinary amount of loess silt that it carries, an average of 57 pounds for every cubic yard of water. Among its notable features is the Grand Canal, built during the Ming Dynasty, that links it to the Yangtze.

Jordan

This river rises in Syria from springs near Mount Hermon. It flows south to Lake Merom, through the Sea of Galilee, and into the Dead Sea, which lies 1,300 feet below sea level. The river forms the its namesake nation's boundary with the West Bank and northern Israel. In the New Testament, the river was the site of the baptism of John the Baptist. In modern times, about 80% of its water is diverted for human use, a figure that has led to the shrinking of the Dead Sea and serious contention among bordering nations. This river's two largest tributaries are the Zarqua and Yarmouk Rivers.

Brahmaputra

This river runs 1,800 miles from its source in the Tibetan Himalayas; it starts eastward across the plateau, then turns south into the Indian state of Assam, and then enters Bangladesh where it merges with the Ganges to form the world's largest delta. While serving as a historical route to Tibet, this river is also prone to disastrous flooding.

Parana

This river, South America's second longest, travels through the countries of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Its name comes from a phrase in the Tupi language meaning "Like the sea." This river is formed at the confluence of the Paranaiba River and Rio Grande in southern Brazil. This river's largest tributary is the Paraguay, which merges with it near the cities of Corrientes and Resistenca. Another tributary of this river, the Iguazu, meets this river near the Paraguayan city of Saltos de Guirea. This city was the former site of the Sete Quedas falls, which were erased when the Itaipu dam was built on this river.

Orinoco

This river, one of the largest in South America, is the primary waterway of the country of Venezuela (It also flows through Colombia). By volume of discharge, this river ranks fourth in the world. This river mainly travels through the Llanos (tropical grasslands) of South America. The first European to see this river was Christopher Columbus, who encountered it on his third voyage. Tributaries of this river include the Apure and Meta Rivers. It flows from the Parima Mountains of Venezuela to the Amacuro Delta, where it empties into the gulf of Paria.

Niger

This river, the 3rd longest in Africa, is considered the principle river of west Africa. It begins in Guinea and flows through the countries of Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, until it empties into the Gulf of Guinea. This river was central the medevial Mali and Songhai empires. It was mapped in the late 18th century by Scottish explorer Mungo Park. Its main tributary is the Benue River, and it goes through the cities of Bamako, Timbuktu, and Niamey.

Yukon

This river, the fourth longest in North America, flows through the countries of Canada, where it has a namesake territory, and the United States. This river begins at Llewellyn Glacier at Atlan Lake, which is located in northern British Columbia. It flows into the Bering Sea near Kusilvak, Alaska. This river was important for transportation during the Klondike Gold Rush, which occurred around the turn of the 20th century. Cities along this river include Whitehorse, Galena, and Grayling. Tributaries of this river include the Koyukuk and Tanana Rivers.

Volga

This river, the longest and highest in discharge volume in Europe, begins in western Russia and flows into the Caspian Sea. It is considered the most important river in the country of Russia. It is the largest river in the world not directly connected to an ocean or sea. This river begins in the Valdai Hills between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Important tributaries of this river include the Kama, Oka, Vetluga, and Sura. The most well-known lake on this river is Lake Sterzh. Cities on this river include Dubna, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, and its namesake city.

Murray

This river, the longest in Australia, forms the border between the territories of New South Wales and Victoria. Its main tributary is the Darling River, and it flows through many lakes, including the Coorong and Lake Alexandrina. This river flows from the Australian Alps, part of the Great Dividing Range, into the southern Indian Ocean. Its watershed is considered to be the most important irrigated region in Australia. Major towns along this river include Albury, Moama, and Mildura.

Nile

This river, the longest in the world (disputed with Amazon), flows through many countries, including Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. Its main tributaries are its White and Blue versions, with the White beginning at Lake Victoria and the Blue beginning at Lake Tana. This river travels through the cities of Jinja, Juba, Khartoum, and Cairo. This river is crossed by the Aswan High Dam.

Amazon

This river, the longest in the world (disputed with Nile), flows through the countries of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, draining into the Atlantic Ocean. It has the world record for largest discharge volume of water. This river has many tributaries, including the Apurimac and Mantaro, which join to form the Ucayali, which itself joins with the Maranon to form this river. Due to its many tributaries, this river also owns the record for the largest drainage basin in the world. This river flows through many cities, including Iquitos, Leticia, Tefe, Parintins, Macapa, and Manaus. The first European to see this river was Vincente Pinzon, who discovered its mouth in 1500.

Ob

This river, the seventh-longest in the world, is one of the most important rivers in Siberia. Its namesake Gulf, part of the Arctic Ocean, owns the record for world's longest estuary. This river is formed by the Biya and Katun Rivers, both of which begin in the Altay Mountains. This river is entirely contained in Russia, with the exception of a couple tributaries that begin in Kazakstan. Cities traversed by this river include Biysk, where the river is formed, Baranul, Novosibirsk, Nizhnevartosk, and Surgut.

Lena

This river, the world's eleventh longest, is the easternmost of Siberia's three major rivers. This river begins in the Baikal Mountains, west of Lake Baikal. Major tributaries of this river include the Kirenga, Vitim, Aldan, Vilyuy and Olyokma Rivers. This river flows past the Verkhoyansk Range, and it empties into the Laptev Sea near the New Siberian Islands. A namesake massacre occured near this river in 1912, during which the Russian government shot striking goldminers.

Amur

This river, the world's tenth longest, forms part of the border between Russia and China. It begins in the hills of northeastern China, at the confluence of the Shillka and Ergune (Arjun) Rivers. Additional major tributaries of this river include the Huma, Zeya, Songhua, and Ussuri Rivers. This river empties into the Strait of Tatary, in Russia. A major bridge across this river is the Khabarovsk Bridge. Cities on this river include Heihe and Amursk.

Seine

Though only the second-longest river in France (behind the Loire), this river is of key importance, as it flows through Paris. Starting on the Plateau de Langres near Dijon, this river weaves northwest for 485 miles to enter the English Channel near Le Havre. Along the way, it passes through Troyes, Fontainebleau, and Rouen. This river is France's chief transport waterway, along with its tributaries the Marne and Oise.