Rivers are streams of water that flow continuously over the earth’s surface, they are an important part of the water cycle because they are in charge of keeping the water moving and, in fact, they are responsible for the salty sea. Despite the fact that they are continuous flows, they rarely maintain their constant flow because they depend on the inflow of rainfall and, furthermore, they can flow into the sea, a lake or another body of water.
They are also responsible for the runoff or seepage of water into the subsoil, in this way they generate springs and release water in bodies of ice such as glaciers and snow caps. They are of the utmost importance for the planet as they are one of the main sources of fresh water so necessary for life on Earth.
Learning about them helps us to measure the great importance they have on our planet and with it, generate awareness about the responsible use of water. Little by little the rivers are disappearing for various reasons and it is necessary to preserve them. Here we present a list of the 5 longest rivers in the world that are home to millions of species that live in their ecosystems.
1 Amazon (7,062 km)
The Amazon, with more than 7 thousand kilometers in length, is the longest river in the world, so much so that it only transports more water than the Nile, the Yangtze River and the Mississippi combined. In addition, it is also estimated that of all the water that ends up in the oceans, 20% comes from the Amazon. This great flow crosses three complete countries, as it is born in Peru, crosses Colombia and finally ends in Brazil.
2 Nile River (6,853 km)
The Nile is the second longest river in the world and the largest in all of Africa. But for years it held the title of the longest river in the world until in 2007, with the help of technology, it was found that the Amazon banished it by at least 200 meters. The Nile is born in Lake Victoria in Tanzania and through its passage it crosses a total of 10 countries before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, where it forms the famous Nile delta.
3 Yangtze River (6,300 km)
Asia is not far behind America and Africa, since the third largest lake on the globe is located between their territories. Known as the Yangtze River, it crosses the Asian giant from west to east, originates in the Tibetan Plateau and then almost completely crosses China and then empties into the East China Sea. Here is located the largest dam in the world called the Three Gorges.
4 Mississippi River (6,275 km)
America is fortunate to have two of the largest rivers, firstly the Amazon and secondly the Mississippi. This is positioned as the fourth longest in the world with 6 thousand 275 kilometers that cross ten states of the United States. In total, it drains a basin of 3,238,000 square kilometers and has been positioned as an important navigation route since ancient times.
5 Yenisei River (5,539 km)
It is born in the Republic of Tuvá and feeds on the rivers coming from the Eastern Sayanes mountains. It crosses Asiatic Russia, a region better known as Siberia, and finally empties into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is often seen as the boundary between the eastern and western parts of the region.
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