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Lengths of the major rivers

Take a look at a map of the United States or of any country in the world. Notice how towns and cities tend to be located next to rivers? This is no coincidence. Rivers provide water for the essential needs of both tiny towns and huge cities. There's a good chance that you live near one of our nation's large rivers. Ever wonder what rivers are the longest? Look at the graphic below to see our short list of long rivers.

(It's not so easy to define how long a river is. If a number of tributaries merge to form a larger river, how would you define where the river actually begins? Here, we define river length as the distance to the outflow point from the original headwaters where the name defines the complete length. (Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S., 1986))

WORLD

River line Nile: 4,132 miles
River line Amazon: 4,000 miles
River line Yangtze: 3,915 miles

UNITED STATES

River line Missouri: 2,540 miles
River line Mississippi: 2,340 miles
River line Yukon: 1,980 miles
River line Rio Grande: 1,900 miles
River line St. Lawrence: 1,900 miles
River line Arkansas: 1,460 miles
River line Colorado: 1,450 miles
River line Atchafalaya: 1,420 miles
River line Ohio: 1,310 miles
River line Red: 1,290 miles
River line Brazos: 1,280 miles
River line Columbia: 1,240 miles
River line Snake: 1,040 miles
River line Platte: 990 miles
River line Pecos: 926 miles
River line Canadian: 906 miles
River line Tennessee: 886 miles
River line Colorado (of Texas): 862 miles
River line North Canadian: 800 miles
River line Mobile: 774 miles
River line Kansas: 743 miles
River line Kuskokwim: 724 miles
River line Yellowstone: 692 miles
River line Tanana: 659 miles
River line Milk: 625 miles
River line Quachita: 605 miles
River line Hamilton: 600 miles
River line Cimarron: 600 miles

(Source: Kammerer, J.C., Largest Rivers in the United States, US Geological Survey Fact Sheet OFR 87-242 rev. 1990



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Last Modified: May 28, 2003 		Glossary of water terms.
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