Principal Rivers of the World
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
The following table lists the principal rivers of the world including the name, source location, outflow, and approximate length. The Nile is the world's longest river stretching 6,690 kilometers.
(See Rivers of the United States for other U.S. rivers.)
| Approx. length | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Source | Outflow | mi. | km |
| Nile | Tributaries of Lake Victoria, Africa | Mediterranean Sea | 4,180 | 6,690 |
| Amazon | Glacier-fed lakes, Peru | Atlantic Ocean | 3,912 | 6,296 |
| Mississippi-Missouri- Red Rock | Source of Red Rock, Montana | Gulf of Mexico | 3,710 | 5,970 |
| Chang Jiang (Yangtze) | Tibetan plateau, China | China Sea | 3,602 | 5,797 |
| Ob | Altai Mts., Russia | Gulf of Ob | 3,459 | 5,567 |
| Huang He (Yellow) | Eastern part of Kunlan Mts., West China | Gulf of Chihli | 2,900 | 4,667 |
| Yenisei | Tannu-Ola Mts., western Tuva, Russia | Arctic Ocean | 2,800 | 4,506 |
| Paraná | Confluence of Paranaiba and Grande rivers | Río de la Plata | 2,795 | 4,498 |
| Irtish | Altai Mts., Russia | Ob River | 2,758 | 4,438 |
| Zaire (Congo) | Confluence of Lualab and Luapula rivers, Congo | Atlantic Ocean | 2,716 | 4,371 |
| Heilong (Amur) | Confluence of Shilka (Russia) and Argun (Manchuria) rivers | Tatar Strait | 2,704 | 4,352 |
| Lena | Baikal Mts., Russia | Arctic Ocean | 2,652 | 4,268 |
| Mackenzie | Head of Finlay River, British Columbia, Canada | Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean) | 2,635 | 4,241 |
| Niger | Guinea | Gulf of Guinea | 2,600 | 4,184 |
| Mekong | Tibetan highlands | South China Sea | 2,500 | 4,023 |
| Mississippi | Lake Itasca, Minnesota | Gulf of Mexico | 2,348 | 3,779 |
| Missouri | Confluence of Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison rivers, Montana | Mississippi River | 2,315 | 3,726 |
| Volga | Valdai plateau, Russia | Caspian Sea | 2,291 | 3,687 |
| Madeira | Confluence of Beni and Maumoré rivers, Bolivia–Brazil boundary | Amazon River | 2,012 | 3,238 |
| Purus | Peruvian Andes | Amazon River | 1,993 | 3,207 |
| São Francisco | Southwest Minas Gerais, Brazil | Atlantic Ocean | 1,987 | 3,198 |
| Yukon | Junction of Lewes and Pelly rivers, Yukon Territory, Canada | Bering Sea | 1,979 | 3,185 |
| St. Lawrence | Lake Ontario | Gulf of St. Lawrence | 1,900 | 3,058 |
| Rio Grande | San Juan Mts., Colorado | Gulf of Mexico | 1,885 | 3,034 |
| Brahmaputra | Himalayas | Ganges River | 1,800 | 2,897 |
| Indus | Himalayas | Arabian Sea | 1,800 | 2,897 |
| Danube | Black Forest, Germany | Black Sea | 1,766 | 2,842 |
| Euphrates | Confluence of Murat Nehri and Kara Su rivers, Turkey | Shatt-al-Arab | 1,739 | 2,799 |
| Darling | Central part of Eastern Highlands, Australia | Murray River | 1,702 | 2,739 |
| Zambezi | 11°21'S, 24°22'E, Zambia | Mozambique Channel | 1,700 | 2,736 |
| Tocantins | Goiás, Brazil | Pará River | 1,677 | 2,699 |
| Murray | Australian Alps, New South Wales | Indian Ocean | 1,609 | 2,589 |
| Nelson | Head of Bow River, western Alberta, Canada | Hudson Bay | 1,600 | 2,575 |
| Paraguay | Mato Grosso, Brazil | Paraná River | 1,584 | 2,549 |
| Ural | Southern Ural Mts., Russia | Caspian Sea | 1,574 | 2,533 |
| Ganges | Himalayas | Bay of Bengal | 1,557 | 2,506 |
| Amu Darya (Oxus) | Nicholas Range, Pamir Mts., Turkmenistan | Aral Sea | 1,500 | 2,414 |
| Japurá | Andes, Colombia | Amazon River | 1,500 | 2,414 |
| Salween | Tibet, south of Kunlun Mts. | Gulf of Martaban | 1,500 | 2,414 |
| Arkansas | Central Colorado | Mississippi River | 1,459 | 2,348 |
| Colorado | Grand County, Colorado | Gulf of California | 1,450 | 2,333 |
| Dnieper | Valdai Hills, Russia | Black Sea | 1,419 | 2,284 |
| Ohio-Allegheny | Potter County, Pennsylvania | Mississippi River | 1,306 | 2,102 |
| Irrawaddy | Confluence of Nmai and Mali rivers, northeast Burma | Bay of Bengal | 1,300 | 2,092 |
| Orange | Lesotho | Atlantic Ocean | 1,300 | 2,092 |
| Orinoco | Serra Parima Mts., Venezuela | Atlantic Ocean | 1,281 | 2,062 |
| Pilcomayo | Andes Mts., Bolivia | Paraguay River | 1,242 | 1,999 |
| Xi Jiang (Si Kiang) | Eastern Yunnan Province, China | China Sea | 1,236 | 1,989 |
| Columbia | Columbia Lake, British Columbia, Canada | Pacific Ocean | 1,232 | 1,983 |
| Don | Tula, Russia | Sea of Azov | 1,223 | 1,968 |
| Sungari | China–North Korea boundary | Amur River | 1,215 | 1,955 |
| Saskatchewan | Canadian Rocky Mts. | Lake Winnipeg | 1,205 | 1,939 |
| Peace | Stikine Mts., British Columbia, Canada | Great Slave River | 1,195 | 1,923 |
| Tigris | Taurus Mts., Turkey | Shatt-al-Arab | 1,180 | 1,899 |
