The longest rivers in the world table. What is the largest river in the world

27.03.2013

There are many amazing things in the world long rivers, but which one is longest river in the world? And this is a complex issue that causes a lot of disagreement and controversy. Scientists have been debating this issue for a long time, arguing about the exact length of rivers, because for this it is necessary to know exactly where the river begins and where it ends, and there are still disputes about whether it is necessary to take into account the tributaries of rivers. And the most famous dispute between scientists is which river is longer, the Nile or the Amazon; they swapped places several times. But today scientists seem to agree, although not completely... This is10 the most long rivers in the world.

10. Congo River - 4,700 km

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The water system is the Atlantic Ocean. The deepest and second longest (after the Nile) river in Africa. The only river that crosses the equator twice. A major shipping artery and source of fishing. Famous for the seven-step Stanley Falls and the cascade of Livingston Falls. The novels of J. Conrad “Heart of Darkness” and M. Crichton “Congo” are dedicated to the river.

9. Amur River - 5,052 km

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In ninth place in the top 10 longest rivers in the world, Amur, which flows through the territories of Russia, China and Mongolia. The water system is the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The Chinese call it the River of the Black Dragon, which, according to legend, lives in its waters. It is distinguished by an unusually rich ichthyofauna. Up to 139 subspecies of fish are found here. The richest salmon river in Eurasia.

8. Lena River - 5,100 km

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It flows into the Laptev Sea. The name of the river is not related to the popular female name, and with the Evenki word “Elu-Ene” - “ big river" It differs from other rivers in Russia in its ice regime and powerful ice jams, which causes global floods. The banks of the Lena are sparsely populated.

7. Ob River with Irtysh - 5,410 km

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Flows into the Kara Sea. The area of ​​the water basin is 2,990 thousand sq. km. The third most water-bearing river in Russia after the Yenisei and Lena. In the southern part of the Ob, the Novosibirsk Reservoir was built - a reservoir of water reserves and a popular recreation spot.

6. Yellow River - 5,464 km

"Yellow River". The name is justified by the color of the water, which is caused by the abundance of river sediments. Flows into the Yellow Sea. The average water flow in the river is 2000 cubic meters per second. In 11 AD. The Yellow River made a breakthrough into a new direction, which caused a huge environmental and humanitarian disaster and led to the fall of the Xin Dynasty. In 1938, Kuomintang troops organized the largest flood of the Yellow River in order to stop the advance of the Japanese army. It is the second largest river in China.

5. Yenisei River - 5,539 km

In fifth position in the top 10 longest rivers in the world, Yenisei. The name comes from the Evenk “Ionessi” - “big water”. Siberians affectionately call her Yenisei-father. Flows into the Kara Sea. The confluence of the Big and Small Yenisei in Kyzyl is the geographical center of Asia. The ill-conceived construction of hydroelectric power stations on the river and a mining and chemical plant in Krasnoyarsk led to climate change and other serious environmental consequences in this zone.

4. Mississippi - 6,275 km

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It originates in Lake Ithaca in Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Divided into Upper and Lower Mississippi. The largest tributary is the Ohio River. The longest tributary is the Missouri River. It is famous for the grandiose bridges built across it. She was a source of inspiration for many writers and musicians, such as M. Twain, W. Faulkner, J. Cash.

3. Yangtze River - 6,300 km

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Longest me and the high-water river of Eurasia. The cradle of Chinese civilization and the main waterway of this country. The river is home to two endangered species - the Chinese allegator and the Chinese paddlefish. On July 16, 1966, the Great Mao swam 15 km down the river in 65 minutes, which made an indelible impression on local residents and served as a signal for the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

2. River Nile - 6852 km

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A sacred river worshiped by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and many African peoples. A temple was built in her honor in Nilopolis and the festival of Niloa was held. It originates on the East African plateau and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Plays a huge role in the development of agriculture in the surrounding lands. Nile cruises are a very popular tourist route.

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1. Amazon - 6,992 km

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The longest river in the world formed by the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali rivers. It flows through the territories of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Flows into the Atlantic Ocean. At a depth of 4 thousand kilometers, the unidirectional underground river Hamza flows underneath it. In 2011 recognized as one of natural wonders Sveta. Nourishes the ecosystem Amazonian jungle. It is also considered the most dangerous river in the world. But still it is the greatest river.

Rivers- natural drains that are part of the hydrological cycle. There are many unique bodies of water on our planet that can change their course, dry up seasonally and supply drinking water huge numbers population. What size do you think the largest and longest rivers in the world can surprise? We will look at the deepest, longest, largest water streams, but keep in mind that rivers tend to dry up and change their size. We present to your attention a rating based on the latest, current data from 2017.

Top 10 largest and longest rivers in our world

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The rating of the largest rivers on Earth opens with "Niger" - this is the most valuable body of water in the territory West Africa. The length is 4180 kilometers. In size, it is second only to the Nile and Congo, whose basins are also located on the territory of this continent.

The source of the river is located on the slope of the Leono-Liberian Upland, to be precise, in the southeastern part of Guinea. It is worth adding that the Niger flows into the Gulf of the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, a delta domain is formed. Talking about myself major tributary, it is the Benue River.

Located in the Xinjiang Uyghur region of China. The length of this reservoir reaches 4248 kilometers. Consequently, she is larger than the Ob itself. In total, the Ob, together with the Irtysh River, creates the longest watercourse in Russia. It ranks second in the overall ranking in terms of length in Asia.

The area of ​​the basin is 1643 thousand square kilometers. Birch trees have their origins from the border of Mongolia, as well as China. It is worth noting that this river rich in freshwater fish.

The length is 4400 kilometers. The area is 2490 thousand square kilometers. Thus, the Lena is the longest river in the territory Central Siberia. If you do not take into account the 106 kilometers of the Bykovskaya channel, the length is 4294 kilometers. Large territory body of water passes through Irkutsk region. It is worth noting that in terms of total area Lena is considered the largest in Russia. Moreover, according to location in the regions permafrost There are no analogues to Lena in the world. Lovers of winter fishing come here from all over the world.

In wide circles, the reservoir is known as the “River of Nine Dragons”. Flows through the territory of the following states:

1. China;
2. Laos;
3. Thailand;
4. Cambodia;
5. Vietnam;
6. Myanmar.

On the Indochina Peninsula, the Mekong is the largest river, with a length of 4,500 kilometers. The area of ​​the basin is 810 thousand square kilometers. Speaking of water consumption, the figure is approximately 15,000 m³/s. Thus, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of this fresh reservoir!

Another large river located in Central Africa. The length of the large river is 4,700 kilometers. It is worth noting that it is the deepest and ranks second in terms of length in Africa. In terms of water content, it is second only to the Amazon. In the upper reaches of the Congo it exceeds the height of Kisangani.

This unique river, which crosses the equator twice. The slope is 0.36 m/km. total area the entire basin is 4,014,500 square kilometers. The source starts from the DRC and runs along the border with Zambia. There are other data according to which it emerges from the Chambeshi River. Depth - 230 meters.

It's about about a long river located in South America. Its length is 4880 kilometers. Affects several countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The area of ​​the Parana River is 2,582,672 square kilometers. From interesting facts The following can be highlighted:

• The Paraná flows into La Plata Bay;
• in the lower reaches of one of the longest rivers on the planet, shipping is well developed;
• in the middle reaches of the Paraná there is a border between Argentina and Paraguay;
• The name translates as “big river” from the language of the ancient Guarani Indians.

Finding a fresh body of water larger than the Yellow River is quite difficult. One of the largest rivers in China and Asia in general means “yellow” in translation, which is associated with the presence of a large amount of sediment. They give it a traditional and extraordinary yellowish tint. Not many people know that it was because of this river, which flows into the Yellow Sea, that the second body of water received its name.

The source of the Yellow River is located in the eastern part of Tibet, at an altitude of approximately 4 thousand meters. The total area is 745 thousand km².

Yangtze literally means “long river”. A truly large river located in China has a long length (6300 km), covering the territory of many Eurasian countries. One of the largest rivers on the planet is considered the third largest on Earth. Its area is 1,808,500 square kilometers.

It is worth saying that the Yangtze covers many ecosystems, while it is home to unique endemic and rare, endangered species of marine animals. In particular, river dolphins.

The ex-leader in the top of the longest rivers today is the Nile, whose length is 6853 kilometers. The source of the freshwater reservoir originates in the East African Plateau. As a result, a huge delta with an area of ​​24 thousand square kilometers is formed. For the most part, the Nile flows in the desert.

The longest water system of the Nile, according to Brazilian researchers, is inferior to the Amazon, but most experts are convinced that it is the largest. However, the length of the Nile is inferior to the main competitor in this rating, so we have placed the top in this way.

The longest river in the world- The Amazon, whose length is 6992 kilometers. The area is 7180 thousand square kilometers.

It should be recalled that in 2011 a worldwide competition was held, within which the river received the status of one of the seven wonders of the world. For the most part, it flows in the Amazonian lowland, namely in the sublatitudinal zone. Forms a huge delta and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The area of ​​the largest river island is 100 kilometers.

What is the longest river in the world? In 2007, the world community was confused by the news that, thanks to new technologies for measuring the length of rivers, it was found that the longest river is not the Nile, as had long been believed, but the Amazon.

Several factors play a role in the confrontation between the two great rivers:

• the length of the river may change over time;
• seasonal changes;
• The length of the Nile was affected by the construction of dams. Now the length of the Nile is 6852 km;
• Sometimes it is difficult to determine the correct source of the river among numerous tributaries. The length of the Amazon from the Maraño tributary will be 6992 km, and if from the Ucayali tributary, then over 7000 km.

For a long time The length of the rivers was calculated only approximately, but studies carried out by comparing photographs from space and computer processing of information proved: the longest river in the world is the Amazon.

Winner-Amazon

The longest river flows in. The Amazon is a record holder not only in length, but also in other indicators:

• the deepest in the world;
• the largest in the world in terms of basin area, which is more than 7,100 thousand km², which is comparable to the area of ​​Australia. The total length of all tributaries of the Amazon is 25,000 km;
• more than 1 million representatives various types flora and fauna lives on its banks;
• The Amazon is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, an increase of 30 times more types fish living in all water bodies of Europe combined;
• the basin area contains the world's largest tropical rainforests;
• more than 25% of all medicines mined in the Amazon;
• V beginning of XXI century, under the Amazon at a depth of 4000 m, an underground river was discovered, named after the Indian scientist, explorer of the Amazon - Hamza.

Surprisingly, not a single bridge has been built across the Amazon. A single crossing connects the banks of the Rio Negro tributary.

In 2011, the Amazon was recognized as one of the wonders of the world.

Great Nile

For a long time, the Nile, the great African waterway, a shrine of the ancient Egyptians, had the status of the longest river in the world. The source of the Nile is the confluence of Rukarara and Kagera in Rwanda. For a long time, Lake Victoria was considered the source of the Nile. The delta area is 24,000 km². The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

The entire life of the countries through which the longest river flows is determined by the Nile. It can be called the river of life, which crosses the sultry sands of the Sahara Desert and never dries up. The water level depends on the abundance of precipitation in the upper reaches. To protect the population from annual floods, 3 dams were built. This has its pros and cons: on the one hand, Agriculture lost its natural natural fertilizer– silt; on the other hand, the area of ​​irrigated land expanded, and crops began to be harvested 3 times a year. It is possible that the dams shortened the total length of the Nile.

The Nile is the cradle of human civilization. On its banks in the 4th millennium BC one of the first agricultural states arose, with developed culture and religion - Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians called the Nile Iteru - Great River, and Herodotus wrote that Egypt was the gift of the Nile. Egypt, in fact, is the creation of a great river - 22% of the length of the Nile is located on the territory of this state.

Along the banks of the Nile there are great cultural monuments - the pyramids of Giza, the temples of Luxor and Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings. Beginning near Cairo, the Nile Delta is stunning in its length - 260 km along Mediterranean Sea. All this makes Egypt a tourist oasis, the main jewel of which is the Nile.

The Great Ob - the pride of Russia

About 2.5 million rivers flow through the territory - large and small, great and nameless. 84% fresh water concentrated in Siberia. The longest river in Russia, the Ob, also flows there. Its length from the source of the Irtysh, the left tributary of the Ob, is 5410 km. In fact, the longest watercourse in Russia is the Ob-Irtysh water system.

The Great Ob is born at the confluence of the Katun and Biya in Altai, gains power at the mouth of the Irtysh and flows into the Arctic Ocean, forming the Gulf of Ob at the mouth - a bay more than 800 km long.

Interesting facts about the Ob:

• In summer and autumn, the river water has a striped structure. This comes from the fact that Katun and Biya different colour water. The Katun carries greenish waters, and the Biya carries grayish or white waters;
• The length of the Ob tributary, the Irtysh, is greater than the length of the Ob itself. Together they make up Russia's longest watercourse;
• at the mouth of the Irtysh, the river’s width reaches 3 – 7 km, and its depth – up to 20 m;
• near Novosibirsk the Ob is blocked by a dam that forms the Ob Sea;
• The Ob is famous for its valuable species of fish: sturgeon, vendace, whitefish, omul, peled, nelma and others are caught there. valuable species fish;
• The Ob is an important transport artery connecting the lands of 3 states: Russia, Kazakhstan, China.

Great rivers of the world - unique phenomena nature, connecting countries and peoples, giving life, beauty and prosperity.

The Amazon is considered the longest river in the world. It takes its origins from South America, or rather in the Andes and Peru, formed from other smaller rivers Marañon and Ucayali (the length of each stream is at least 6500 km). Further pouring out, it flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. Due to its length and coverage of several states, the Amazon is considered navigable. It got its name due to the rapid current and the huge height of the waves (it reaches 6-8 meters).

The length itself big river the world is about 6500-7000 km, thanks to this it covers more than half of Brazil. And its width varies depending on the season. During periods of heavy rains, the width increases 2-3 times and reaches 40 km, and in the absence of rain it is only 11 km. The depth of the river varies depending on the area, the deepest place is more than 130 meters.

Thanks to the powerful flow of the Amazon, when it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, it changes its original color and chemical composition.

The Nile River takes its origins from East Africa and further, covering more than half of the continent, extends along Egypt.

For many centuries, the Nile water flow was considered the largest in the world, but scientists have proven that it is the second longest, respectively, on the first Amazon. But despite this, the Nile is considered the longest river in Africa. The length is about 6800 km, and the basin area is about 335,000 km2.

The Nile is unusual for its color changes, both in each of its sections and depending on weather changes. During hot weather, the Nile overflows its channel and turns the soil orange-red.
The Nile River is divided into 5 sections:

1. Victoria Nile. This section of the river takes its sources from Lake Victoria, its length is more than 400 km.
2. Albert-Neil. A small part of the river flowing between Lake Albert and the Achva tributary.
3. Bahr el-Jabal takes its origins at the foot of the town of Juba and is about 1000 km long.
4. The White Nile flows through the plain to Sudan, and thanks to the mountainous muddy tributary Sabat acquires a milky white color.
5. The Blue Section of the Nile is the longest section of the Nile that flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

It begins in the north of Cairo a large number of branches of the Nile River called the delta. Thanks to the delta, Africa's longest river is named after the letter "delta" it resembles. The Nile Delta is similar in size to the Crimean Peninsula.

The Yangtze is a river that flows along the entire length of China. The length of the Yangtze is 6500 km, thanks to which this water stream acquired its name, the meaning of which is “big river”. The source of the Yangtze begins at an altitude of over 5,000 meters in the mountains of Tibet, which is located near the northern Himalayas.

When the glacier melts, streams are formed, which, going down the mountain slope, connect with others and form the powerful Yangtze stream. Flowing through Qinghai province, the river slows down somewhat due to mixing with the swampy mass of the area.

Leaving Qinghai, the Yangtze rushes to the south, where the independent Tibetan region of Lhasa is located on one side, and the province of Sichuan on the other. Since this area is characterized by a large number of mountain ranges, the river flows through their gorges, forms a rapid current and then flows into the East China Sea.

The width of the river bed is two kilometers, but then it is divided into several more branches, although only two flow into the sea. More than 20% of all China is made up of the Yangtze basin; the deepest place is considered to be the Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the depth is about two kilometers.

Flowing into the Sichuan Basin, the Yangtze calms down somewhat, because on its way there is a mountain range, through which it makes its way and decreases, reaching 200 m in width and 100 m in depth.

The Mississippi is considered one of the longest rivers in Europe and flows through about 40% of all states. The river starts from Lake Itasca, flows throughout the entire country, it divides America into 2 parts, and ends in Gulf of Mexico. Its length is 6,000 km, since it also includes two other smaller rivers: the Jefferson and the Missouri.

The Mississippi has many different tributaries, one of which is the Ohio River. Mississippi is divided into several parts:

1. Upper Mississippi.
2. Middle Mississippi.
3. Lower Mississippi.

At the very beginning of the river there are many waterfalls, one of which is St. Anthony, located not far from the city of St. Paul. The height of the waterfall is more than 15 meters.

After the waterfall, the river's path passes between steep cliffs and becomes gentle. The height and number of cliffs on the Mississippi River depend on their location; the closer to the north, the higher they are and vice versa, respectively.

After the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi, it becomes wider and in some places small islands are noticeable, which appear and disappear. Somewhere in early autumn, the river begins to shallow and only in spring it regains its former high water.

Due to its length (the Mississippi flows through 31 states, from Minnesota to Louisiana), it is considered one of the longest rivers in Europe.

The Yenisei water flow is considered the largest in Russia. In terms of size, the Yenisei ranks fifth in the world. Its water flow includes many rivers: Angara, Selenga and other smaller rivers of the Mongolian Republic.

The Yenisei takes its sources from the small river Ider, which is located in the Khangai mountains of Mongolia, then connecting with the second river Delger-Muren and the third Selenga, it is part of Lake Baikal. The Angara flows from Baikal and flows into the Yenisei. Thus, the length of the Yenisei is about 5500 km. It divides Siberia into parts: western and eastern.

She acquired her euphonious name thanks to the Evenks, who christened her Ioanessi, the meaning of which Great River. Then they began to call it the Yenisei in the Russian manner.

The river itself is divided into upper and lower Yenisei and has a large number of branches.

The river, stretching to the north, washes the rocky ridges of the Sayan Mountains and, through a small gap, stretches further into the Minusinsk Basin. Three hydroelectric power stations were built along the entire Yenisei River: Sayano-Shushenskaya, Mainskaya and Krasnoyarsk.

After the reunification of the Yenisei with the rivers Podkamennaya and Lower Tunguska it expands by at least 5000 m. The width of the stream varies, in some places it reaches 15 km, and the depth up to 20 meters. Along its bed grow coniferous trees and larch.

The Yenisei flows through the taiga, enters the forest-tundra and moves towards the Arctic Ocean.

The river is rich in minerals, which it supplies to all regions of Russia.

The Yellow River is a major river in China, more than 5,500 km long. Its source begins at the Bayar-Khar ridge, which belongs to the Kunlun mountain system. A seething mountain river rushes to the southeast and flows into the Tsarin and Narin reservoirs. The Yellow River crosses many provinces of China such as Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan and Qinghai. From Shandong Province, the Yellow River flows into the Yellow Sea.

The mighty Yellow River is home to populated areas of many millions: Yinchuan, Lanzhou, Wuhai, Baotou, Jinan and Zhengzhou. Along its entire route, the Yellow River encounters obstacles, flows through them in the form of a gorge and rushes towards the plains of Northern China.

At the source of the Yellow River, the waters are crystal clear, but already halfway along its path they acquire a yellow tint, which is why the river got its name (Huang He - yellow river).

On the river there is the Hukou waterfall, which, resting against a rock, divides the Yellow River into two, and then small tributaries Ai and Huai flow into it. Not far from the Yellow Sea, the Yellow River forms a delta measuring more than 7,500 km2.

Depending on the weather conditions the river can leave its channel, thereby flooding nearby areas, due to which changes in the course of the Yellow River occur. Even dams cannot contain the turbulent flows of the river during bad weather.

The Ob is one of the deepest and largest rivers in the world.

The location of the Ob is the western part of Siberia, its flow is parallel to the Yenisei and directed from south to north. Having reached the north, the Ob flows into the Kara Sea, where an 800-kilometer bay (estuary) is formed.

The length of the Ob is more than 3500 km, but another river, the Irtysh, which is at least 4000 km long, joins it with its tributaries and increases it
length. As a result, the Ob takes an honorable 7th place in the world.

The river's area is about 2,900 km2, but during high water it can overflow its channel. The Ob is formed from the small Katun River, which is located on the Katun Ridge. Its length is more than 650 km. The Katun River flows along Gorny Altai and connecting with the water flow Biya creates a large water artery- Ob.

The Ob is divided into three large parts:

1. The Upper Ob, which flows in Novosibirsk, Barnaul and Kamen-on-Ob to the Tom River.
2. The Middle Ob begins after its confluence with the Tom. At this point the Chulym tributary joins them and the river gains its power. The depth in these places varies up to 8 meters.
3. After the tributary of the Irtysh joins the Ob, the Lower Ob is formed, which stretches to the village of Peregrebnoye, where it bifurcates into the Bolshaya and Malaya Ob.

Having reached Salekhard, the Ob regains its greatness, forming a delta measuring more than 4.5 km2. Further, the Nadymsky and Khamanelsky tributaries depart from it, uniting and merging with the Kara Sea.

The bed of the Congo stretches throughout South Africa and connects with Atlantic Ocean. The length of the channel is about 4700 km, the depth is about 200 meters, and the size of the basin is 4 million km2.

The river was formed from two small water streams, Chambesi and Lualaba. Lualaba divides into a large number of waterfalls, turns west and forms the Congo River, then the entire Congo flows through flat terrain. Thanks to this, the water flow of the river is calm, but then the river narrows, as if squeezed between the banks, its depth increases, and accordingly the flow becomes faster. The presence of a turbulent stream and many waterfalls in the Congo has brought great benefits to the country in the form of energy independence, since more than 40 hydroelectric power stations are located along the entire river.

Basically, the river bed passes through the republic of the same name. Along it there are a large number of cities: Kindu, Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Matadi and Banane.

Passing the rocky banks, the river widens and forms Lake Molebo Pool. Then rocks appear on the river’s path again, and the Congo begins to narrow again and its depth to increase. After the river passes the city of Kinshasa, the large Livingston Falls are formed again. Near the city of Matadi, the Congo channel begins to expand, and after 1000 km it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Amur water flow was formed from two small rivers Shilki and Argun, which are located in the eastern part of Eurasia. The Amur flows through several states: Russia, China and Mongolia and ultimately becomes part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The Amur area is more than 1.8 million km2, and its length is 2824 km.

The channel of the Amur is directed in an easterly direction, dividing two great countries: Russia and China. Further, its channel changes its direction to the southeast, where small tributaries and rivers flow into it: Zeya, Burei and Sungari. Thanks to this, the water flow of the Amur increases in volume. Then the river changes its direction to the northeast and in Khabarovsk it connects with the Ussuri River.

The rest of the river’s path lies along the territory of Russia, bypassing Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the river turns north and connects with the Amgun River. Having joined Amgun, the Amur changes its flow to the eastern direction towards the Tatar Strait and connects with it.

Many rivers are divided into parts or sections; accordingly, the Amur is also divided into 3 parts:

1. The Upper Amur begins from the mouth and continues to the city of Blagoveshchensk.
2. The Middle Amur starts from Blagoveshchensk and ends in Khabarovsk.
3. The Lower Amur, accordingly, takes its toll in Khabarovsk and ends at the mouth of the river.

In the spring, the Amur leaves its channel and floods surrounding area for several tens of kilometers.

The Lena River is one of the largest rivers in Russia, located in Siberia, not far from Lake Baikal. Its entire path lies along Siberia and Yakutsk, and then, turning to the north, flows into the Laptev Sea.

The length of the river is more than 4000 km, and its area is 2,490,000 km2. Along the entire length of the river there are many large settlements: Kirensk, as well as Yakutsk, specializing in diamond and gold mining.

The river originates from a small unnamed mountain lake and is also divided into several parts:

1. The Upper Lena begins from its mouth all the way to the Vitim water stream.
2. The middle section starts from the Vitim River and continues to the Aldan River.
3. The lower section from the Aldan River to Vilyuy.

After connecting with Vilyuy, Lena expands, showing its greatness and the beauty of the Siberian river. At the very beginning of the river’s path, the flow is stormy due to its location between the rocks, but already near Kirensk its flow noticeably calms down due to its connection with the Kirenga River. However, this gives the Lena additional volumes, it expands and becomes deeper, and then flows further up to the Northern Arctic Ocean, into which it flows.

Due to precipitation, the Lena River is increasing; in some places the water level can rise by more than 10 meters and overflow its banks. Along the entire shore, the Siberian beauty is surrounded by coniferous trees, larch and cedars, which cut the river like a diamond.

The Amazon moves at a speed of 15 km/h

Most fast river In the world, the Amazon River is considered, already having several titles of “the very best”. Among them, such titles as the deepest (7,180,000 km 2), the deepest (its depth in some places reaches 135 meters), the longest (7,100 km) and the widest (in some places the Amazon delta is 200 km wide) . In the lower reaches of the Amazon, the average water flow is approximately 200-220 thousand cubic meters, which corresponds to a river flow speed of 4.5-5 m/s or 15 km/h! During the rainy season, this figure increases to 300 thousand m3.

The bed of each river consists of upper, middle and lower reaches. Wherein upstream characterized by large slopes, which contributes to its greater erosive activity. The lower reaches have the largest water mass and lower speed.

How is current speed measured?

The units used to measure river flow speed are meters per second. It should not be forgotten that the speed of water flow is not the same in different parts rivers. It gradually increases, originating from the bottom and walls of the channel and gains the greatest power in the middle part of the flow. The average current speed is calculated based on measurements taken at several sections of the riverbed. Moreover, a minimum of five point measurements are carried out on each section of the river.

For speed measurements water flow a special measuring device is used - a hydrometric pinwheel, which is lowered to a certain depth strictly perpendicular to the surface of the water and after twenty seconds the readings of the device can be taken. Having data about average speed river and its approximate cross-sectional area, the river's water flow is calculated.

Amazon rip current

In addition, the Amazon River is the owner reverse flow, which occurs during ocean tides. Water streams With enormous speed– 25 km/h or 7 m/sec, driven back to the mainland. The waves reach 4-5 meters in height. The further a wave travels onto land, the less destructive its effect becomes. The tides stop up to 1,400 kilometers upstream in the Amazon. This a natural phenomenon received the name “pororoka” - thundering water.