Rivers of the World Flashcards
Amazon
4,007 mi. World’s largest river by volume and second-largest in length rises in Peruvian Andes as Maranon River and flows through Brazil to Atlantic.
Amu Darya (Oxus)
1,578 mi. Rises in Tajikistan and flows through or borders Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to Aral Sea.
Amur (Heilong Jiang)
2,705 mi. Formed by confluence of Silka and Argun Rivers on Chinese-Russian border, flows through Russia to the Tartar Strait.
Apalachicola
90 mi. Flows from Lake Seminole through Florida to Gulf of Mexico.
Arkansas
1,450 mi. Rises in the Colorado Rockies and flows through Kansas (Little Rock) to Mississippi. McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River System (455 mi.) is a combination of natural and artificial waterways - including sections of Verdigris, Arkansas and White Rivers - from Catoosa, Oklahoma (near Tulsa) and junction of White and Mississippi Rivers.
Arno
150 mi. Rises in Apennines and flows via Florence to Ligurian Sea.
Atchafalaya
220 mi. Flows from confluence of Mississippi and Red Rivers through Louisiana via Morgan City to Gulf of Mexico.
Baltic-White Sea Canal
141 mi. Complex of natural and man made Russian waterways connecting Baltic and White Seas.
Black Warrior
217 mi. Rises in Alabama and flows into the Tombigbee.
Brahmaputra
1,770 mi. Rises in Tibet and flows through China, India and Bangladesh (Dhaka) to the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and Bay of Bengal.
Cape Cod Canal
17 mi. Canal between Massachusetts Bay and Buzzards Bay built in 1914.
Cape Fear
202 mi. Rises in North Carolina and flows to Atlantic.
Chao Phraya (Me Nam)
227 mi. Rises in Thailand and flows via Bangkok to Gulf of Thailand.
Chattahoochee
436 mi. Rises in Georgia. Dammed to create Lake Seminole (on Alabama border) from which flows the Apalachicola.
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
14 mi. Canal between Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay built in 1824-29.
Colorado
1,450 mi. Rises in Colorado Rockies, flows through Utah, Arizona (Grand Canyon), Nevada, California, Baja California Norte, and Sonora to the Gulf of California.
Columbia
1,243 mi. Rises in British Columbia and flows through Washington and Oregon (Portland) to the Pacific.
Congo (Zaire)
2,900 mi. Rises in the DRC and flows along the border with Congo via Kinshasa and Brazzaville to Atlantic.
Connecticut
407 mi. Rises in New Hampshire and flows through Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (Hartford) to Long Island Sound.
Cumberland
694 mi. Rises in Kentucky and flows through Tennessee to the Ohio.
Danube
1,776 mi. Rises in Germany and flows through and/or forms borders of Austria (Vienna), Hungary (Budapest), Croatia, Serbia (Belgrade), Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania, where it enters the Black Sea. Part of Rhine-Main-Danube waterway.
Delaware
367 mi. Rises in New York and borders New York, New Jersey (Trenton), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), and Delaware (Wilmington) en route to Delaware Bay.
Dnieper
1,420 mi. Rises in Russia and flows through Belarus and Ukraine (Kiev) to Black Sea.
Dniester
877 mi. Rises in Ukraine and flows along Moldova border to Black Sea.
Don (Tanais)
1,224 mi. Russian river that flows to Black Sea via Voronezh and Rostov.
Douero (Duero)
556 mi. Rises in Spain and flows through Portugal (Oporto) to Atlantic.
Elbe
724 mi. Rises in Czech Republic and flows through Germany (Hamburg) to North Sea.
Erie Canal
363 mi. Main artery of New York State Barge Canal, built 1817-25 between Hudson River (Albany) and Lake Erie (Buffalo).
Euphrates
1,510 mi. Rises in Turkey and flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris and form the Shatt-al-Arab.
Ganges
1,560 mi. Rises in India and flows through Bangladesh to the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and Bay of Bengal.
Garonne
357 mi. French river that forms, with the Dordogne, Gironde Estuary on the Atlantic below Bordeaux.
Grand Canal (Da Yunhe)
1,114 mi. Inland canal in China between Beijing and Hangzhou. First stage between Yangtze River (Chiang Jiang) and Yellow River (Huang He) built in 5th century B.C.; extended south to Hangzhou on East China Sea, A.D. 618, and north to Beijing, 1292.
Green River
360 mi. Rises in Kentucky and flows into Ohio River.
Guadalquivir
408 mi. Spanish river that flows via Cordoba and Seville to Atlantic.
Houston Ship Channel
57 mi. Waterway cut through Buffalo Bayou between Houston and Galveston, Texas, in 1914.
Hudson
306 mi. New York river that flows via Albany and New York City to Atlantic.
Illinois Waterway
327 mi. natural and manmade waterways connecting Lake Michigan and Mississippi and comprising Chicago River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (1900), Des Plaines River, and Illinois River.
Indus
1,800 mi. Rises in Tibet and flows through China, Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan to Arabian Sea.
Intracoastal Waterway
Improved channels, both natural and manmade, authorized by U.S. Congress in 1919 to provide sheltered navigation from Massachusetts to Texas. A trans-Florida section was never built, and it is divided into the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (1,800 mi.) from Cape Cod to Miami, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (1,100 mi.) from Apalachee Bay, Florida to Brownsville, Texas.
Irrawaddy
1,300 mi. Rises in Myanmar and flows into Bay of Bengal.
Irtysh River
2,760 mi. Rises in China and flows through Kazakhstan and Russia to Ob. Combined length of Lower Ob and Irtysh is 3,360 mi.
James
340 mi. Rises in Virginia and flows via Richmond to Chesapeake Bay.
Jordan
200 mi. Rises in Syria and flows through the borders of Lebanon, Israel and Jordan to the Dead Sea via Sea of Galilee.
Kanawha
97 mi. Rises in West Virginia and flows into Ohio River.
Kasai
1,338 mi. Rises in Angola and flows through DRC and Congo to the Congo River.
Kentucky
259 mi. Rises in Kentucky and flows into the Ohio.
Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostee Kanal)
53 mi. German canal built in 1887-95 between Baltic (Kiel) and North Sea (mouth of the Elbe).
Kwai (Khwae) Noi
Western Thailand river across which infamous railway bridge “bridge on the River Kwai” at Kanchanaburi was built during World War II, at the cost of more than 60,000 lives.
Lena
2,730 mi. Russian river that flows via Yakutsk to Laptev Sea.
Liffey
50 mi. Irish river that flows into Irish Sea at Dublin.
Limpopo (Crocodile)
1,600 mi. Rises in South Africa and borders and/or flows through Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to Indian Ocean.
Lorie
634 mi. French river that flows via Orleans and St. Nazaire to Bay of Biscay.
Mackenzie
2,635 mi. Rises in British Columbia and flows through Alberta and Northwest Territory to Beaufort Sea. Length includes Peace River above Great Slave Lake and Finlay River above Williston Lake.
Madiera
2,013 mi. Formed by confluence of Mamore and Beni Rivers at Bolivian border and flows through Brazil to the Amazon.
Marne
326 mi. French river that flows to the Seine.
Mekong
2,600 mi. Rises in China and flows through or borders Laos (Vientaine), Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia (Phnom Penh) and Vietnam to South China Sea.
Mississippi
2,348 mi. Rises in Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and forms all or part of eastern border of Iowa, Missouri (St. Louis), Arkansas and Louisiana, and western border of Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee (Memphis) and Mississippi; flows through Louisiana (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) to Gulf of Mexico. Measured from the head of the Missouri, total length is 3,740 mi. (not including upper Mississippi).
Missouri
2,315 mi. Rises in Montana and flows through and/or borders North Dakota (Bismarck), South Dakota (Pierre), Iowa (Sioux City), Nebraska (Omaha), Kansas and Missouri (Kansas City), en route to the Mississippi.
Mobile
45 mi. Alabama river that flows via Mobile to Mobile Bay.
Monongahela
129 mi. Rises in West Virginia and flows through Pennsylvania to the Ohio.
Moscow Canal
80 mi. Canal build in 1937 to link Moscow to the Volga.
Murray-Darling
2,330 mi. Rises in the Great Dividing Range of Australia and flows to Indian Ocean.
Nelson
1,600 mi. Rises in Alberta and flows through Saskatchewan and Manitoba to Hudson Bay; length includes Saskatchewan River above Lake Winnipeg and Bow River near Calgary.
New York State Barge Canal
353 mi. Network of waterways between Hudson River and Lake Erie including Erie Canal, Champlain Canal, and Oswego Canal.
Niagara
35 mi. Forms border between New York and Ontario and flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario; unnavigable because of the 170 ft. high Niagara Falls.
Niger
2,600 mi. Rises in Guinea and flows through Mali (Bamako and Tombouctou), Niger (Niamey), Benin and Nigeria to Gulf of Guinea.
Nile
4,145 mi. World’s longest river rises in Uganda and flows through Sudan (Khartoum) and Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria and Rosetta) to Mediterranean. Passes through Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Albert. Known as White Nile at Sudan; at Khartoum merges with Blue Nile (850 mi), which rises in Ethiopia.
Ob
2,287 mi. Russian river that flows via Tobolsk to Gulf of Ob (Kara Sea). With Irtysh River, 3,360 mi.
Oder
567 mi. Rises in Czech Republic and flows through Poland via German border and Szczecin to Baltic.
Ohio
981 mi. Formed by confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and flows through Ohio (Cincinnati), West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois to the Mississippi.
Orange
1,300 mi. Rises in Lesotho and flows through South Africa and along Namibian border to Atlantic.
Orinoco
1,600 mi. Rises in Venezuela and flows to Caribbean; forms part of border with Colombia.
Ouachita
605 mi. Rises in Arkansas and flows through Louisiana to the Mississippi. Lower 57 mi. known as Black River.
Panama Canal
50 mi. Panamanian waterway built 1904-14 between Atlantic (Colon) and Pacific (Panama).
Paraguay
1,610 mi. Rises in Brazil and flows through Paraguay (Asuncion) and Argentina to the Parana.
Parana
1,827 mi. Rises in Brazil and flows through and/or borders Paraguay and Argentina en route to La Plata.
Para-Tocantins
1,710 mi. Brazilian river that flows to the Amazon via Para. The Para River is southern branch of the Amazon at its mouth.
Plata (Plate)
123 mi. Estuary of Parana and Uruguay Rivers that flows to Atlantic and via Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
Po
405 mi. Italian river that flows via Turin to Adriatic.
Potomac
287 mi. rises in West Virginia and flows through and/or borders Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., to Chesapeake Bay.
Purus
1,860 mi. Rises in Peru and flows through Brazil to the Amazon above Manaus.
Red
1,018 mi. Rises in New Mexico and flows through and/or borders Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana (Shreveport) to Mississippi.
Rhine
820 mi. Rises in Switzerland (Basel) and flows through and/or borders Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany (Koln), France (Strasbourg) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam) to North Sea.
Rhine-Main-Danube Waterway
2,173 mi. Trans-European canal linking North and Black Seas; Rhine River from North Sea to Mainz (334 mi.); Main River to Bamberg (238 mi.); Main-Danube Canal (106 mi.); Danube River to Black Sea (1,495). Waterway completed in 1992–1,199 years after Charlemagne’s first attempt.
Rhone
300 mi. Rises in Switzerland and France and flows via Marseilles to Mediterranean.
Rio Grande (Rio Bravo, Rio Bravo del Norte)
1,885 mi. Rises in New Mexico and forms border between Texas (El Paso) and Mexican states of Chihuahua (Juarez), Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas to Gulf of Mexico.
Roanoke
410 mi. Rises in Virginia and flows through North Carolina to Albemarle Sound.
Sacramento
374 mi. California river that flows via Sacramento to San Francisco Bay.
Saint Johns
285 mi. Florida river that flows via Jacksonville to Atlantic.
St. Lawrence
800 mi. Rises in Ontario and flows through Quebec (Montreal and Quebec) and New York to Gulf of St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence Seaway-2,340 mi. - is a U.S. Canadian project (1954-59) that allows ocean going ships to ascend St. Lawrence and cross the Great Lakes to Duluth, Minnesota and includes Welland Canal and Sault Ste. Marie Canals.
Salween
1,750 mi. Rises in China, flows through Myanmar, forms part of border with Thailand and enters Bay of Bengal at Moulmein, Myanmar.
San Joaquin
340 mi. California river that flows to the Sacramento.
Sao Francisco
1,988 mi. Brazilian river that flows to Atlantic.
Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Canals
1.6 mi. Built to overcome 12 ft. drop between Lakes Superior and Huron; first built 1895. Part of St. Lawrence Seaway.
Savannah
314 mi. Rises in South Carolina and flows through Georgia (Savannah) to the Atlantic.
Seine
482 mi. French river flows via Paris and Le Havre to English Channel.
Shannon
270 mi. Irish river that flows via Limerick to Atlantic.
Shatt-al-Arab
120 mi. Waterway between confluence of Tigris and Euphrates and the Persian Gulf; forms part of Iran/Iraq border. Major cities include Basra, Abadan and Khorramshar.
Snake
1,083 mi. Rises in Wyoming and flows through Idaho, Oregon and Washington to the Columbia.
Somme
152 mi. French river that flows via Amiens to English Channel. Scene of World War I battle, July-November 1916.
Suez Canal
101 mi. Egyptian canal, built 1859-69, between Mediterranean (Port Said) and Red Sea (Suez).
Syr Darya
1,370 mi. Rises in Uzbekistan and flows through Kazakhstan to Aral Sea.
Tagus
675 mi. Rises in Spain and flows through Portugal to Atlantic at Lisbon.
Tennessee
652 mi. Rises in Tennessee (Chattanooga) and flows through Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky to the Ohio River.
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
253 mi. Manmade waterway, completed in 1985, between the Tennessee in Mississippi and the Tombigbee in Alabama.
Thames
210 mi. English river that flows via London to North Sea.
Tiber
252 mi. Italian river that flows via Rome to Tyrrhenian Sea.
Tigris
1,180 mi. Rises in Turkey and flows through Iraq (Mosul, Baghdad) and joins the Euphrates to form the Shatt-al-Arab above Persian Gulf.
Tombigbee
362 mi. Rises in Mississippi and flows through Alabama to Mobile.
Lower Tunguska
1,860 mi. Russian river that flows to the Yenisei.
Ural
1,575 mi. Rises in Russia and flows through Kazakhstan to Caspian Sea.
Vistula
675 mi. Polish river that flows via Warsaw and Gdansk to Baltic Sea.
Volga
2,290 mi. Russian river that flows via Gorki and Volgograd (Stalingrad) to Caspian Sea. Longest river in Europe.
Volga-Baltic Canal
685 mi. Network of canals and improved waterways connecting the Volga with Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg.
Volga-Don Canal (Lenin Canal)
62 mi. Last link in Russian waterway system tat connects the Baltic, Black, White and Caspian Seas, and the Sea of Azov; opened in 1952.
Welland Canal
27 mi. Canal (first built 1824-29) to overcome 327 ft drop from Lake Ontario to Erie; current canal built 1913-32. Part of St. Lawrence Seaway.
Willamette
294 mi. Oregon river that flows to the Columbia at Portland.
Yangtze (Chang Jiang)
3,720 mi. Chinese river that flows via Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai to East China Sea.
Yazoo
169 mi. River in Mississippi that flows to the Mississippi.
Yellow (Huang He)
2,903 mi. Chinese river that flows to Bo Hai (Yellow Sea).
Yenisei
2,566 mi. Russian river that flows to Kara Sea. Combined length with Angara (Upper Tunguska) River is 3,650 mi.
Yukon
1,979 mi. Rises in Yukon Territory and flows through Alaska to Bering Sea.
Zambezi
1,700 mi. Rises in Zambia and flows through Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to Mozambique Channel.