Measuring a river is not as straightforward as it sounds, as many streams meet in river systems. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to define exactly where one river begins and another ends. Also, although the most common way to measure a river is by its length, the magnitude of a river can also be measured by its volume. This makes it even more difficult to decide which is the largest river in the world.
The Nile
Flowing from East Africa into the Mediterranean Sea is the Nile River. According to the US National Park Service, it is the longest river in the world at 6,650 kilometers. Countries the Nile River crosses include Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition, more than 300 million people currently depend on the Nile for their water supply and irrigation of crops.
On the other hand, El Niño’s energy is harnessed by the Aswan High Dam, which was built in 1970 to provide hydroelectric power and control summer floods. During the 1980s, the dam provided half of Egypt’s electricity, although that amount has been decreasing over the years. Today, it only contributes 20% of the total energy generated in Egypt, as claimed by NASA’s Earth Observatory.
The amazon
According to the United States National Park Service, the Amazon River is approximately 6400 kilometers long. Although it is not the longest river, it is the largest in the world by volume. In fact, the Amazon contains 20% of the fresh water on Earth, as the National Science Foundation maintains .
Some parts of this river are over 190 kilometers wide during the rainy season. Furthermore, to date no bridge has been able to cross it. The Amazon begins in Peru and flows into Brazil, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river also has the largest hydrographic basin on the planet, which runs through countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The basin is also home to the Amazon rainforest, home to numerous species of birds, mammals, and other wild animals.
