Rivers of the World

The Mississippi• States it flows through: Minesota, Wisconsin,

Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana

• Length: 2340 miles or 3766 kilometres

• Mouth: Gulf of Mexico

• Number of tributaries: over 13 tributaries & sub tributaries

• Continent: America (North America)

• Interesting fact: The name Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word “misi-ziibi” meaning ‘Great River’.

The Amazon• Countries it flows through: Peru, Bolivia,

Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and Brazil

• Length: over 4000 miles or 6400 kilometres

• Mouth: opens into the Atlantic (its width is longer than the whole length of the Thames River!)

• Number of tributaries: over 1000 tributaries

• Continent: America (South America)

• Interesting fact: The Amazon is the second largest river in the world. No bridges cross the river along its entire length.

The Danube

• Countries it flows through: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.

• Length: 1770 miles or 2850 kilometres

• Mouth: opens into the Black Sea

• Number of Tributaries: over 27 tributaries

• Continent: Europe

• Interesting fact: The Danube is the source of drinking water for about ten million people.

The Ganges

• Countries it flows through: India and Bangladesh

• Length: 1560 miles or 2510 kilometres

• Mouth: opens into the Indian Ocean

• Number of tributaries: 2• Continent: Asia

• Interesting fact: The river is thought of as a goddess who aids the dead on their path to Heaven.

Huang He

• Countries it flows through: China

• Length: 3395 miles or 5464 kilometres

• Mouth: opens into the Gulf of Bohai

• Number of Tributaries: 13

• Continent: Asia

• Interesting fact: The river has flooded so often that it has become known as the ‘River of Sorrow’. The water is a yellow colour because of the silt that flows down it.

The Nile• Countries it flows through: Egypt, Ethiopia,

Sudan and Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Length: 4169 miles or 6670 kilometres

• Mouth: opens at Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea

• Number of tributaries: 2• Continent: Africa

• Interesting fact: The River Nile is the longest river in the world. Its name comes from the Greek word “neilos” which means valley.