Principal Rivers of the World

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

The following table lists the principal rivers of the world including the name, source location, outflow, and approximate length. The Nile is the world's longest river stretching 6,690 kilometers.

(See Rivers of the United States for other U.S. rivers.)

Approx. length
River Source Outflow mi.km
Nile Tributaries of Lake Victoria, Africa Mediterranean Sea 4,180 6,690
Amazon Glacier-fed lakes, Peru Atlantic Ocean 3,912 6,296
Mississippi-Missouri-
Red Rock 		Source of Red Rock, Montana Gulf of Mexico 3,710 5,970
Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Tibetan plateau, China China Sea 3,602 5,797
Ob Altai Mts., Russia Gulf of Ob 3,459 5,567
Huang He (Yellow) Eastern part of Kunlan Mts., West China Gulf of Chihli 2,900 4,667
Yenisei Tannu-Ola Mts., western Tuva, Russia Arctic Ocean 2,800 4,506
Paraná Confluence of Paranaiba and Grande rivers Río de la Plata 2,795 4,498
Irtish Altai Mts., Russia Ob River 2,758 4,438
Zaire (Congo) Confluence of Lualab and Luapula rivers, CongoAtlantic Ocean 2,716 4,371
Heilong (Amur) Confluence of Shilka (Russia) and Argun (Manchuria) rivers Tatar Strait 2,704 4,352
Lena Baikal Mts., Russia Arctic Ocean 2,652 4,268
Mackenzie Head of Finlay River, British Columbia, Canada Beaufort Sea
(Arctic Ocean) 		2,635 4,241
Niger Guinea Gulf of Guinea 2,600 4,184
Mekong Tibetan highlands South China Sea 2,500 4,023
Mississippi Lake Itasca, Minnesota Gulf of Mexico 2,348 3,779
Missouri Confluence of Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison rivers, Montana Mississippi River 2,315 3,726
Volga Valdai plateau, Russia Caspian Sea 2,291 3,687
Madeira Confluence of Beni and Maumoré rivers, Bolivia–Brazil boundary Amazon River 2,012 3,238
Purus Peruvian Andes Amazon River 1,993 3,207
São Francisco Southwest Minas Gerais, Brazil Atlantic Ocean 1,987 3,198
Yukon Junction of Lewes and Pelly rivers, Yukon Territory, Canada Bering Sea 1,979 3,185
St. Lawrence Lake Ontario Gulf of St. Lawrence 1,900 3,058
Rio Grande San Juan Mts., Colorado Gulf of Mexico 1,885 3,034
Brahmaputra Himalayas Ganges River 1,800 2,897
Indus Himalayas Arabian Sea 1,800 2,897
Danube Black Forest, Germany Black Sea 1,766 2,842
Euphrates Confluence of Murat Nehri and Kara Su rivers, Turkey Shatt-al-Arab 1,739 2,799
Darling Central part of Eastern Highlands, Australia Murray River 1,702 2,739
Zambezi 11°21'S, 24°22'E, Zambia Mozambique Channel 1,700 2,736
Tocantins Goiás, Brazil Pará River 1,677 2,699
Murray Australian Alps, New South Wales Indian Ocean 1,609 2,589
Nelson Head of Bow River, western Alberta, Canada Hudson Bay 1,600 2,575
Paraguay Mato Grosso, Brazil Paraná River 1,584 2,549
Ural Southern Ural Mts., Russia Caspian Sea 1,574 2,533
Ganges Himalayas Bay of Bengal 1,557 2,506
Amu Darya (Oxus) Nicholas Range, Pamir Mts., Turkmenistan Aral Sea 1,500 2,414
Japurá Andes, Colombia Amazon River 1,500 2,414
Salween Tibet, south of Kunlun Mts. Gulf of Martaban 1,500 2,414
Arkansas Central Colorado Mississippi River 1,459 2,348
Colorado Grand County, Colorado Gulf of California 1,450 2,333
Dnieper Valdai Hills, Russia Black Sea 1,419 2,284
Ohio-Allegheny Potter County, Pennsylvania Mississippi River 1,306 2,102
Irrawaddy Confluence of Nmai and Mali rivers, northeast Burma Bay of Bengal 1,300 2,092
Orange Lesotho Atlantic Ocean 1,300 2,092
Orinoco Serra Parima Mts., Venezuela Atlantic Ocean 1,281 2,062
Pilcomayo Andes Mts., Bolivia Paraguay River 1,242 1,999
Xi Jiang (Si Kiang) Eastern Yunnan Province, China China Sea 1,236 1,989
Columbia Columbia Lake, British Columbia, Canada Pacific Ocean 1,232 1,983
Don Tula, Russia Sea of Azov 1,223 1,968
Sungari China–North Korea boundary Amur River 1,215 1,955
Saskatchewan Canadian Rocky Mts. Lake Winnipeg 1,205 1,939
Peace Stikine Mts., British Columbia, Canada Great Slave River 1,195 1,923
Tigris Taurus Mts., Turkey Shatt-al-Arab 1,180 1,899

Large Lakes of the WorldWorld GeographyLarge Islands of the World
World Geography
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