Table of Contents
What do we mean by Biggest, Longest, and Largest rivers ?
By Biggest rivers, We mean the average discharge of a river. What is the discharge ? Discharge is the volumetric flow rate (m3/s) of a stream.
When some people look or search for biggest rivers in the world they most probably thinking and expecting the list of longest rivers in the world, which is different and makes the understanding and information about biggest rivers in the world a bit misleading.
By Longest rivers, we mean the length of the river from start to the end.
By Largest rivers, We mean the large drainage area of the river. What is the drainage area ? A drainage area is an area of land where all the flowing surface water converges to one point such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as lake or ocean.
List of 25 Biggest rivers in the World
Biggest river in the world (i.e. Average Discharge) – Amazon, 209,000 m3/s
| Rank | River | Average Discharge (m3/s) | Outflow |
| 1 | Amazon–Ucayali–Tambo–Ene–Mantaro | 209,000 | Atlantic Ocean |
| 2 | Congo–Chambeshi(Zaïre) | 41,800 | Atlantic Ocean |
| 3 | Orinoco | 33,000 | Atlantic Ocean |
| 4 | Madeira–Mamoré–Grande–Caine–Rocha | 31,200 | Amazon |
| 5 | Yangtze–Jinsha–Tongtian–Dangqu(Chang Jiang) | 30,166 | East China Sea |
| 6 | Negro | 26,700 | Amazon |
| 7 | Río de la Plata–Paraná–Rio Grande | 22,000 | Río de la Plata |
| 8 | Brahmaputra–Yarlung Tsangpo | 19,800 | Ganges |
| 9 | Yenisey–Angara–Selenga–Ider | 18,050 | Kara Sea |
| 10 | Mississippi–Missouri–Jefferson–Beaverhead–Red Rock–Hell Roaring | 16,792 | Gulf of Mexico |
| 11 | Mekong(Lancang Jiang) | 16,000 | South China Sea |
| 12 | Lena | 15,500 | Laptev Sea |
| 13 | Pearl–Xi-Xun-Qian-Hongshui-Nanpan | 13,600 | South China Sea |
| 14 | Tocantins–Araguaia | 13,598 | Atlantic Ocean (Marajó Bay), Amazon Delta |
| 15 | Irrawaddy River–N’Mai River–Dulong River–Kelaoluo–Gada Qu | 13,000 | Andaman Sea |
| 16 | Ob–Irtysh | 12,475 | Gulf of Ob |
| 17 | Ganges–Hooghly–Padma (Ganga) | 12,037 | Bay of Bengal |
| 18 | Amur–Argun–Kherlen(HeilongJiang) | 11,400 | Sea of Okhotsk |
| 19 | Mackenzie–Slave–Peace–Finlay | 10,300 | Beaufort Sea |
| 20 | Saint Lawrence–Niagara–Detroit–Saint Clair–Saint Marys–Saint Louis–North (Great Lakes) | 10,100 | Gulf of Saint Lawrence |
| 21 | Kasai | 10,000 | Congo |
| 22 | Magdalena | 9,000 | Caribbean |
| 23 | Beni | 8,900 | Madeira |
| 24 | Purús | 8,400 | Amazon |
| 25 | Volga | 8,080 | Caspian Sea |
List of 25 Longest rivers in the World
Longest river in the world (i.e. Length) – Nile, 6,650 km
| Rank | River | Length (km) | Length (miles) |
| 1 | Nile–White Nile–Kagera–Nyabarongo–Mwogo–Rukarara | 6,650 | 4,130 |
| 2 | Amazon–Ucayali–Tambo–Ene–Mantaro | 6,400 | 3,976 |
| 3 | Yangtze–Jinsha–Tongtian–Dangqu(Chang Jiang) | 6,300 | 3,917 |
| 4 | Mississippi–Missouri–Jefferson–Beaverhead–Red Rock–Hell Roaring | 6,275 | 3,902 |
| 5 | Yenisey–Angara–Selenga–Ider | 5,539 | 3,445 |
| 6 | Yellow River(Huang He) | 5,464 | 3,395 |
| 7 | Ob–Irtysh | 5,410 | 3,364 |
| 8 | Río de la Plata–Paraná–Rio Grande | 4,880 | 3,030 |
| 9 | Congo–Chambeshi(Zaïre) | 4,700 | 2,922 |
| 10 | Amur–Argun–Kherlen(HeilongJiang) | 4,444 | 2,763 |
| 11 | Lena | 4,400 | 2,736 |
| 12 | Mekong(Lancang Jiang) | 4,350 | 2,705 |
| 13 | Mackenzie–Slave–Peace–Finlay | 4,241 | 2,637 |
| 14 | Niger | 4,200 | 2,611 |
| 15 | Brahmaputra–Yarlung Tsangpo | 3,969 | 2,466 |
| 16 | Murray–Darling–Culgoa–Balonne–Condamine | 3,672 | 2,282 |
| 17 | Tocantins–Araguaia | 3,650 | 2,270 |
| 18 | Volga | 3,645 | 2,266 |
| 19 | Indus–Sênggê Zangbo | 3,610 | 2,250 |
| 20 | Shatt al-Arab–Euphrates–Murat | 3,596 | 2,236 |
| 21 | Madeira–Mamoré–Grande–Caine–Rocha | 3,380 | 2,100 |
| 22 | Purús | 3,211 | 1,995 |
| 23 | Yukon | 3,185 | 1,980 |
| 24 | São Francisco | 3,180 | 1,976 |
| 25 | Syr Darya–Naryn | 3,078 | 1,913 |
List of 25 Largest rivers in the World
Largest river in the world (i.e. Drainage Area) – Amazon, 7,000,000 km2
| Rank | River | Drainage area(km2) | Countries in the drainage basin |
| 1 | Amazon–Ucayali–Tambo–Ene–Mantaro | 7,000,000 | Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana |
| 2 | Congo–Chambeshi(Zaïre) | 3,680,000 | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda |
| 3 | Nile–White Nile–Kagera–Nyabarongo–Mwogo–Rukarara | 3,254,555 | Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan |
| 4 | Ob–Irtysh | 2,990,000 | Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia |
| 5 | Mississippi–Missouri–Jefferson–Beaverhead–Red Rock–Hell Roaring | 2,980,000 | United States (98.5%), Canada (1.5%) |
| 6 | Río de la Plata–Paraná–Rio Grande | 2,582,672 | Brazil (46.7%), Argentina (27.7%), Paraguay (13.5%), Bolivia (8.3%), Uruguay (3.8%) |
| 7 | Yenisey–Angara–Selenga–Ider | 2,580,000 | Russia (97%), Mongolia (2.9%) |
| 8 | Lena | 2,490,000 | Russia |
| 9 | Niger | 2,090,000 | Nigeria (26.6%), Mali (25.6%), Niger (23.6%), Algeria (7.6%), Guinea (4.5%), Cameroon (4.2%), Burkina Faso (3.9%), Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Chad |
| 10 | Amur–Argun–Kherlen(Heilong Jiang) | 1,855,000 | Russia, China, Mongolia |
| 11 | Yangtze–Jinsha–Tongtian–Dangqu(Chang Jiang) | 1,800,000 | China |
| 12 | Mackenzie–Slave–Peace–Finlay | 1,790,000 | Canada |
| 13 | Madeira–Mamoré–Grande–Caine–Rocha | 1,485,200 | Brazil, Bolivia, Peru |
| 14 | Orinoco | 1,380,000 | Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana |
| 15 | Volga | 1,380,000 | Russia |
| 16 | Zambezi(Zambesi) | 1,330,000 | Zambia (41.6%), Angola (18.4%), Zimbabwe (15.6%), Mozambique (11.8%), Malawi (8.0%), Tanzania (2.0%), Namibia, Botswana |
| 17 | Nelson–Saskatchewan–South Saskatchewan–Bow | 1,093,000 | Canada, United States |
| 18 | Murray–Darling–Culgoa–Balonne–Condamine | 1,061,000 | Australia |
| 19 | Saint Lawrence–Niagara–Detroit–Saint Clair–Saint Marys–Saint Louis–North (Great Lakes) | 1,030,000 | Canada (52.1%), United States (47.9%) |
| 20 | Ganges–Hooghly–Padma (Ganga) | 1,024,000 | India, Bangladesh, Nepal |
| 21 | Indus–Sênggê Zangbo | 960,000 | Pakistan (93%), India and China |
| 22 | Tocantins–Araguaia | 950,000 | Brazil |
| 23 | Paraguay (Rio Paraguay) | 900,000 | Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina |
| 24 | Shatt al-Arab–Euphrates–Murat | 884,000 | Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran |
| 25 | Kasai | 880,200 | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Quick and Important information about the rivers in the list of Longest, Largest, and Biggest Rivers in the World
1. Nile, Northeastern Africa
The Nile is the longest river in the world as we have seen in the list above of 25 longest rivers in the world.
It flows into the Mediterranean sea and covers 11 countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan.
The Nile is essential for economic welfare, supporting agriculture and fishing and is the primary water source for Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan, in particular.
The two major tributaries of the Nile are: The White Nile and The Blue Nile.
2. Amazon, South America
The Amazon is the biggest (i.e. Average discharge) and the largest (i.e. Drainage area) river in the world.
It is also believed to be the longest river by some, however it is in dispute as it is not straightforward to measure the length of a river accurately given uncontrollable factors such as the identification of the source, definition of mouth, and the scale of measurement.
3. Yangtze (ChangJiang), China
The Yangtze has played a key role in the economic growth of China as well as has a major role in the history and culture of the country.
The Yangtze is the longest river in China.
The largest running hydro-electric power station in the world, Three Gorges Dam is build on the Yangtze river.
4. Mississippi, United States
The Mississippi is the primary river and covers, along with its tributaries, 32 states of the US and 2 Canadian provinces.
It is generated from lake Itasca in northern Minnesota.
The state of Mississippi, in United States, is named after Mississippi River, which is the 10th on the list of Biggest Rivers in the World, and the capital of Mississippi state, Jackson, is named after the 7th President of USA, Andrew Jackson.
5. Yenisey, Mongolia and Russia
The Yenisey is the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean, along with being the fifth longest river system in the world.
It flows in the middle of two other large Siberian rivers i.e. Ob and Lena.
Lake Baikal in the upper Yenisey is the deepest and oldest lake in the world.
6. Yellow River (Huang He), China
The Yellow river is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze river. It empties into the Bohai Sea.
The Yellow river was not always yellow. It got muddy between 367 BC and 165 AD and hence got the name Yellow river.
It is referred to as ‘River of the Peacock’ in Tibetan.
7. Ob, Russia
The Ob river is the major river in Russia. It is on the west side of the three major rivers (Ob, Yenisey, and Lena) of Siberia.
The largest city of Siberia Novosibirsk is on the banks of Ob.
8. Parana, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay
The Parana is the second longest river in South America, after the Amazon.
It serves as a natural border between Paraguay and Argentina.
The Yacyreta Dam and the Itaipu Dam has made Paraguay the world’s largest exporter of Hydroelectric power.
9. Congo (Zaïre), Africa
The Congo river was formerly known as the Zaire river. It is the second longest river in Africa, after the Nile.
The drainage basin of Congo covers 10 countries and about 13% of Africa.
10. Amur (Heilong), Russia and China
The Amur forms the natural border between part of Russia and China.
It provides balance to aquatic fauna of Northeast Asia. It is also home to the largest freshwater fish Kaluga, a sturgeon species, which can grow up to 5.6 m or 18 ft.
11. Lena, Russia
The Lena is on the east side of the three major rivers (Ob, Yenisey, and Lena) of Siberia.
It is the eleventh longest river in the world and it flows entirely in Russia.
It originates at an elevation of 1,640 (5,381 ft) in the Baikal mountains.
12. Mekong (Lancang Jiang), China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
The Mekong flows through multiple countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the twelfth longest river in the world and third longest in Asia.
It is difficult to navigate the Mekong river due to extreme seasonal variation in flow and due to rapids and waterfalls.
13. Mackenzie, Canada
The Mackenzie, along with Slave, Peach, and Finlay, makes the longest river system in Canada.
It is the second largest river (i.e. drainage basin) after the Mississippi in North America.
14. Niger, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria
The Niger is the main river in West Africa. It is the third longest river in Africa.
It originates in the Guinea highlands and runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria.
15. Brahmaputra, China, India, and Bangladesh
Brahmaputra originates from the Mansarovar Lake region near Mount Kailash. Brahmaputra means “Son of Brahma”.
It is the fifteenth longest river and eight biggest (i.e. discharge rate) in the world.
16. Murray, Australia
The Murray is the sixteenth longest river in the world and longest in Australia. The next four longest rivers in Australia, after Murray, are all the tributaries of the Murray river.
Murray-Darling basin, which is Australia’s most important region for irrigation, accounts for about 14% of Australia’s area
17. Tocantins, Brazil
The Tocantins covers four Brazilian states: Goiás, Tocantins, Maranhão, and Pará. One of these states, which was the newest state formed in 1988, is named after the Tocantins.
It is one of the largest clearwater rivers in South America.
Common River Terms
| Terms | Meaning |
| Tributaries | A smaller river flows into a larger or main river. A tributary does not flow directly into the ocean. |
| Discharge | The volume of water flowing through a channel during a given time. It is measured in cubic meters per second (m3/s). |
| Drainage Basin | The total area of land from which water drains into a specific river. |
| Rapid | A reach of stream that is characterized by small falls and turbulent, high-velocity water. |