TOP/BEST/Spectacular nature: World’s largest rivers -10

TOP/BEST/Spectacular nature: World’s largest rivers 10

They gush, they flow; they give life, they provide; they flood and they destruct! In spectacular nature this fortnight, we look at some of the largest rivers of the world.

Nile, North-Africa

Stretching over 6,650 km in North-Africa against the picturesque backdrop of the Great Pyramids, the Nile is generally considered to be the longest rivers of the world. The river comprises of two major tributaries - the White Nile and the Blue Nile and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Greek historian Herodotus wrote that "Egypt was the gift of the Nile". An unending source of sustenance, it provided a crucial role in the development of Egyptian civilization and was an integral part of ancient Egyptian spiritual life.

Even today, the Nile supports much of the population living along its banks, enabling Egyptians to live in otherwise inhospitable regions of the Sahara

Amazon, South America

The Amazon is considered the largest river in the world with a total discharge greater than the next ten largest rivers combined.

Such is the size of the river that, the Amazon, which has the largest drainage basin in the world, about 7,050,000 square kilometres, accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world's total river flow.

The width of the Amazon varies between 1.6 and 10 kilometres in the dry season, but expands during the wet season to 48 kilometres or more.

Yangtze, Central China

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world flowing for 6,300 kilometres from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai through central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai.

It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The Yangtze drains one-fifth of China's land area and its river basin is home to one-third of China's population.

The Yangtze supports a wide range of ecosystems amd is itself habitat to several endemic and endangered species including the Yangtze River dolphin, Chinese alligator, and the Yangtze sturgeon.

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world.

Mississippi, North America

The largest river system in North America, the Mississippi River originates at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and flows southwards into the Gulf of Mexico.

Along with its major tributary, the Missouri River, the Mississippi river system drains all or parts of 31 US states stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Canada-US border on the north, including most of the Great Plains.

It is the longest river in the world and the tenth most powerful river in the world.

Yenisei, North Asia

The Yenisei is undoubtedly the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course to the Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea, draining a large part of central Siberia. Along its course it receives numerous tributaries, including the Angara River.

The upper reaches, subject to rapids and flooding, pass through sparsely populated areas. The middle section is controlled by a series of massive hydroelectric dams fuelling significant Russian primary industry.

Yellow River, China

With a length of 5,464 kilometers, the mighty Yellow River is the second-longest river in China and the sixth longest in the world. Often called the 'cradle of the Chinese civilization', the river got its name 'Yellow' from the ochre-yellow appearance of the muddy water in the lower course of the river. The yellow color comes from loess suspended in the water.

It is the world's muddiest river, carrying about 57lbs of silt per cubic yard of water, compared with 2 pounds for the Nile River, and 22 pounds for the Colorado River.

Prone to rapid flooding and turbulent tidal waves, the river has also earned the dubious name of 'China's Sorrow'.

Ob-Irtysh, Russia

The Ob River, also called Obi, is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the country's fourth longest river. The Ob River also has the longest estuary in the world.

The river is frozen for from five to six months of the year, but transportation is high and heavy for the rest of the year, both for trade and for sightseeing.

The river's fisheries, long famous for their productivity, have been damaged by pollution, part of it from nuclear waste.

Congo, Africa

The deepest river of the world with measured depths in excess of 750 ft, the Congo River is also the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged.

The river and its tributaries flow through the Congo rainforest, the second largest in the world after the Amazon rainforest. The rain forest and is home to hundreds of kinds of animals, including hippos, manatees, water snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, pigs, elephants, and 200 species of fish.

Amur, Russia

The Amur River forms the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China and is the largest undammed river in the world. The area in and around the Amur River is home to 95 percent of the world's Oriental white stork, as well as significant numbers of cranes and other birds.

The river was home to ancient peoples in both Russia and China. Archaeologists from those two nations have recently teamed up to form digs to study clues to how these ancient peoples lived.

At the same time, environmentalists are concerned that the river is being mined for agricultural purposes at the expense of wildlife habitats. A sometimes fierce debate over the purpose of the river is ongoing.

Lena, Russia

The Lena is the greatest Russian river with its watershed entirely within national ranges. The total length of the river is estimated at 4,400 km and the area of the Lena river basin is calculated at 2,490,000 square kilometres.

The Lena has the unusual distinction of appearing to be the longest river in the world when viewed on a map using a Mercator projection, the most common method of displaying the spherical earth on a flat surface.

Source: India Syndicate