Major Rivers of the World: Map, Facts & Key Details

Searching for the major rivers of the world? This article gives you a complete list of the most important rivers across the globe. You’ll find their names, lengths, locations, and the countries they flow through. Additionally, We’ve also included a map to make it easier to understand where these rivers are located. From the Nile in Africa to the Amazon in South America, you will get quick facts about each major river in a clear and simple format.

List of Major Rivers by Continent

Below is a continent-wise list of major rivers around the world.This gives you a clear overview of their geographical location before we move into detailed sections. You can also refer to the map attached to see the exact locations of these rivers across the continents.

• Africa: Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi, Orange
• Asia: Yangtze, Ganges, Indus, Yellow (Huang He), Mekong, Brahmaputra
• Europe: Danube, Volga, Rhine, Thames, Dnipro
• North America: Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, St. Lawrence, Colorado, Rio Grande, Mackenzie
• South America: Amazon, Paraná, Uruguay, São Francisco, Paraguay
• Australia: Murray, Darling

Map of World Rivers

Major Rivers of the World

1. Nile River

• Longest river in the world
• Flows through: Northeastern Africa
• Length: About 6,650 km (4,130 miles)
• Countries: Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, and others
• Source: Lake Victoria (White Nile) and Ethiopian Highlands (Blue Nile)
• Mouth: Mediterranean Sea
• Important Structure: Aswan High Dam in Egypt

2. Amazon River

• Second longest river in the world
• Largest river by volume and drainage basin
• Flows through: South America
• Length: ~ 6,400 km / 3,977 miles
• Countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and others
• Source: Andes Mountains in Peru
• Mouth: Atlantic Ocean

3. Yangtze River

• Longest river in Asia
• Third longest river in the world
• Length: Approx. 6,300 km
• Flows through: China
• Source: Tanggula Mountains, Tibetan Plateau
• Three Gorges Dam: Largest hydroelectric power station in the world
• Mouth: East China Sea near Shanghai

4.Huang He (Yellow River)

• Also known as: Yellow River
• Length: About 5,464 km (3,395 miles)
• Flows through: China (originates in Qinghai Province and flows through nine provinces)
• Source: Bayan Har Mountains, Qinghai Province, China
• Mouth: Bohai Sea (Yellow Sea)
• Importance: Known as the “Cradle of Chinese Civilization”
• Notable Feature: Nicknamed “China’s Sorrow” due to frequent and devastating floods in history

5. Lena River

• Major river in Russia and one of the longest in the world
• Length: About 4,400 km (2,736 miles)
• Flows through: Siberia, Russia
• Source: Baikal Mountains, near Lake Baikal
• Mouth: Laptev Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean
• Importance: Important for transportation and fishing in Siberian regions; one of the largest rivers flowing into the Arctic

6. Congo River

• Second longest river in Africa (after the Nile)
• Length: About 4,700 km (2,920 miles)
• Flows through: Central Africa
• Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola, and others
• Source: Highlands of northeastern Zambia
• Mouth: Atlantic Ocean
• Importance: Deepest river in the world; major source of hydroelectric power and transport in Central Africa

7. Mississippi River

• Longest river in North America
• Length: About 3,730 km (2,320 miles)
• Flows through: United States
• Source: Lake Itasca, Minnesota
• Mouth: Gulf of Mexico

For detailed information, read our full article on the Mississippi River.

8. Missouri River

• Longest tributary of the Mississippi River
• Length: About 3,767 km (2,341 miles)
• Flows through: United States (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri)
• Source: Rocky Mountains in Montana
• Mouth: Joins the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri

9. Ohio River

• Major tributary of the Mississippi River
• Length: About 1,579 km (981 miles)
• Flows through: United States (flows along or through six states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois)
• Source: Confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mouth: Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois

Learn more about the Ohio River in our article.

10. St. Lawrence River

• Major river in North America
• Length: About 3,058 km (1,900 miles) including the Great Lakes and estuary
• Flows through: Canada and United States (connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean)
• Source: Outflow of Lake Ontario
• Mouth: Gulf of St. Lawrence (Atlantic Ocean)
• Importance: Vital shipping route for North America’s interior; supports fisheries and hydroelectric power (Beauharnois and Moses-Saunders dams)
• Notable Feature: Forms part of the Canada–US border and includes the Thousand Islands region

11. Mackenzie River

• Longest river system in Canada
• Length: About 4,241 km (2,635 miles)
• Flows through: Northwest Territories, Canada
• Source: Great Slave Lake
• Mouth: Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean

12. Colorado River

• Major river in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico
• Length: About 2,330 km (1,450 miles)
• Flows through: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico
• Source: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
• Mouth: Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez)
• Notable Feature: Famous for carving the Grand Canyon; several major dams including Hoover Dam

Read more about the Colorado River in our detailed article.

13. Rio Grande

• Major river forming part of the US-Mexico border
• Length: About 3,051 km (1,896 miles)
• Flows through: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas (USA), and northern Mexico
• Source: San Juan Mountains, Colorado
• Mouth: Gulf of Mexico
• Notable Fact: Acts as an important natural boundary between the United States and Mexico

14. Ganges River

• Major river in South Asia
• Length: About 2,525 km (1,569 miles)
• Flows through: India and Bangladesh
• Source: Gangotri Glacier in the Indian Himalayas
• Mouth: Bay of Bengal
• Major cities along its course: Haridwar, Varanasi, Patna, and Kolkata

For more detailed information, read our full article on the Ganges River.

15. Indus River

• Also known as: Sindhu River
• Major river in South Asia
• Length: 3,180 km
• Flows through: China (Tibet), India, and Pakistan
• Source: Tibetan Plateau
• Mouth: Arabian Sea
• Treaty: The Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan governs the use and distribution of river waters

Note: The Indus River basin includes the famous Five Major Rivers of Punjab — Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej

16. Brahmaputra River

• Also known as: Yarlung Tsangpo (in Tibet)
• Length: About 2,900 km (1,800 miles)
• Flows through: Tibet (China), India, and Bangladesh
• Source: Angsi Glacier in Tibet
• Mouth: Bay of Bengal (via the Ganges Delta)
• Unique Fact: Majauli, the world’s largest river island, is located in the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India

Read our detailed article on the Brahmaputra RiverSystem for more information.

17. Ob River

• Major river in western Siberia, Russia
• Length: About 3,650 km (2,268 miles)
• Flows through: Russia (originates in the Altai Mountains)
• Source: Confluence of the Biya and Katun Rivers in the Altai Mountains
• Mouth: Gulf of Ob, Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean
• Notable Feature: One of the world’s longest rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean

18. Volga River

• Longest river in Europe
• Length: About 3,530 km (2,194 miles)
• Flows entirely within: Russia
• Source: Valdai Hills, northwest Russia
• Mouth: Caspian Sea

19. Danube River

• Second longest river in Europe
• Length: About 2,860 km (1,777 miles)
• Flows through: Central and Eastern Europe
• Countries: Passes through or borders 10 countries, including Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Romania
• Source: Black Forest, Germany
• Mouth: Black Sea (via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine)

20. Rhine River

• Major river in Western Europe
• Length: About 1,230 km (760 miles)
• Flows through: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands
• Source: Swiss Alps
• Mouth: North Sea (via the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta in the Netherlands)

21. Mekong River

• Major river in Southeast Asia
• Length: About 4,350 km (2,703 miles)
• Flows through: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
• Source: Tibetan Plateau
• Mouth: South China Sea (via Mekong Delta in Vietnam)

22. Murray River

• Longest river in Australia
• Length: About 2,508 km (1,558 miles)
• Flows through: Southeastern Australia
• States: New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia
• Source: Australian Alps (near Mount Kosciuszko)
• Mouth: Southern Ocean (near Lake Alexandrina)
• Tributary System: Part of the Murray-Darling Basin

23. Darling River

• Second longest river in Australia
• Length: About 1,472 km (915 miles)
• Flows through: New South Wales and Queensland
• Source: Brewarrina region, formed by the confluence of smaller rivers like the Barwon and Culgoa
• Mouth: Joins the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales

24. Orange River

• Length: About 2,200 km (1,370 miles)
• Flows through: Lesotho, South Africa, and forms part of the border with Namibia
• Source: Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho
• Mouth: Atlantic Ocean at the Namibian coast

25. Niger River

• Major river in West Africa
• Length: About 4,180 km (2,600 miles)
• Flows through: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria
• Source: Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea
• Mouth: Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) via the Niger Delta in Nigeria
• Notable Feature: The river supports the Inner Niger Delta, a large inland delta rich in biodiversity

26. Zambezi River

• Major river in Southern Africa
• Length: About 2,574 km (1,600 miles)
• Flows through: Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique
• Source: Mwinilunga District, Zambia
• Mouth: Indian Ocean via the Mozambique Channel
• Importance: Famous for the Victoria Falls
• Notable Feature: Home to the Kariba Dam, one of the largest man-made lakes and hydroelectric power stations in Africa

27. Uruguay River

• Major river in South America
• Length: About 1,838 km (1,142 miles)
• Flows through: Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina (forms part of the Uruguay–Argentina border)
• Source: Serra do Mar, Brazil
• Mouth: Río de la Plata estuary (between Argentina and Uruguay)
• Notable Feature: Converges with the Paraná River to form the Río de la Plata

28. Paraguay River

• Major river in South America
• Length: About 2,621 km (1,629 miles)
• Flows through: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina
• Source: Parecis Plateau, Brazil
• Mouth: Confluence with the Paraná River near Corrientes, Argentina
• Notable Feature: Forms the border between Paraguay and Argentina

29. Paraná River

• Major river in South America
• Length: About 4,880 km (3,030 miles)
• Flows through: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina
• Source: Confluence of the Paranaíba and Grande Rivers in Brazil
• Mouth: Río de la Plata estuary (between Argentina and Uruguay)

30. San Francisco River

• Major tributary of the Gila River
• Length: About 463 km (288 miles)
• Flows through: Arizona and New Mexico (USA)
• Source: Continental Divide near Alpine, Arizona
• Mouth: Confluence with the Gila River near Clifton, Arizona
• Notable Feature: Cuts through the scenic Blue River Canyon and the Mogollon Rim area

Top 10 Longest Rivers in the World

Rank	River	Length (km)	Continent
1	Nile	~6,650	Africa
2	Amazon	~6,400	South America
3	Yangtze	~6,300	Asia
4	Mississippi–Missouri System	~6,275	North America
5	Yenisei–Angara–Selenge System	~5,539	Asia
6	Yellow (Huang He)	~5,464	Asia
7	Ob–Irtysh	~5,410	Asia
8	Paraná	~4,880	South America
9	Congo	~4,700	Africa
10	Amur	~4,444	Asia

Thank you for reading our guide to the world’s major rivers. We hope you found the information clear and useful. We welcome your feedback and suggestions—please share your thoughts on Rivers Insight so we can continue improving our content.