Country
|
Waterways (km)
|
Afghanistan
|
1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2004)
|
Albania
|
43 km (2004)
|
Angola
|
1,300 km
|
Argentina
|
11,000 km (2004)
|
Australia
|
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2004)
|
Austria
|
358 km (2003)
|
Bangladesh
|
8,372 km
note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004)
|
Belarus
|
Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems (2004)
|
Belgium
|
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)
|
Belize
|
825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004)
|
Benin
|
150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
|
Bolivia
|
10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004)
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
Sava River (northern border) is open to shipping but its use is limited because of the lack of an agreement with neighboring countries (2004)
|
Brazil
|
50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004)
|
Brunei
|
209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2004)
|
Bulgaria
|
470 km (2004)
|
Burma
|
12,800 km (2004)
|
Burundi
|
mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2004)
|
Cambodia
|
2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2004)
|
Cameroon
|
navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2004)
|
Canada
|
631 km
note: in addition, the Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, is shared with the United States (2003)
|
Central African Republic
|
2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004)
|
Chad
|
Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002)
|
China
|
121,557 km (2002)
|
Colombia
|
9,187 km (2004)
|
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
|
15,000 km (navigation on the Congo has been curtailed by fighting) (2004)
|
Congo, Republic of the
|
4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)
|
Costa Rica
|
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)
|
Cote d'Ivoire
|
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2003)
|
Croatia
|
785 km (2004)
|
Cuba
|
240 km (2004)
|
Czech Republic
|
664 km (on Elbe, Vlatava, and Oder rivers) (2004)
|
Denmark
|
417 km (2001)
|
Ecuador
|
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2003)
|
Egypt
|
3,500 km
note: includes the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m of water (2004)
|
El Salvador
|
Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)
|
Estonia
|
500 km (2003)
|
Fiji
|
203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004)
|
Finland
|
7,842 km
note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2004)
|
France
|
8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000)
|
French Guiana
|
3,760 km
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers; 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
|
Gabon
|
1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2003)
|
Gambia, The
|
390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004)
|
Germany
|
7,300 km
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004)
|
Ghana
|
1,293 km
note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003)
|
Greece
|
6 km
note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2004)
|
Guatemala
|
990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2004)
|
Guinea
|
1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2003)
|
Guinea-Bissau
|
4 largest rivers are navigable to some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2004)
|
Guyana
|
1,077 km
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively (2004)
|
Honduras
|
465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2004)
|
Hungary
|
1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004)
|
India
|
14,500 km
note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2004)
|
Indonesia
|
21,579 km
note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km (2004)
|
Iran
|
850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)
|
Iraq
|
5,275 km (not all navigable)
note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,895 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004)
|
Ireland
|
753 km (pleasure craft only) (2004)
|
Italy
|
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004)
|
Japan
|
1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004)
|
Kazakhstan
|
4,000 km
note: on the Syr Darya (Syrdariya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers (2004)
|
Kenya
|
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2004)
|
Kiribati
|
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)
|
Korea, North
|
2,250 km
note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
|
Korea, South
|
1,609 km
note: restricted to small native craft
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
600 km
|
Laos
|
4,587 km approximately
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
|
Latvia
|
300 km (perennially navigable)
|
Lithuania
|
600 km (perennially navigable)
|
Luxembourg
|
37 km (on the Moselle)
|
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
|
lake transport only, on the Greek and Albanian borders
|
Madagascar
|
of local importance only
|
Malawi
|
144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall
|
Malaysia
|
7,296 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,209 km, Sabah 1,569 km, Sarawak 2,518 km
|
Mali
|
1,815 km
|
Mauritania
|
ferry traffic on the Senegal River
|
Mexico
|
2,900 km
note: navigable rivers and coastal canals
|
Moldova
|
424 km
|
Mongolia
|
400 km (1999)
|
Mozambique
|
3,750 km (navigable routes)
|
Netherlands
|
5,046 km (of which 3,745 km are canals)
note: 47% of total route length is usable by craft of 1,000-metric-ton capacity or larger
|
New Zealand
|
1,609 km
note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation requirements
|
Nicaragua
|
2,220 km (including 2 large lakes)
|
Niger
|
300 km
note: the Niger River is navigable from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March
|
Nigeria
|
8,575 km
note: consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks
|
Norway
|
1,577 km (along west coast)
note: navigable by 2.4 m maximum draft vessels
|
Panama
|
882 km
note: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal
|
Papua New Guinea
|
10,940 km
|
Paraguay
|
3,100 km
|
Peru
|
8,808 km
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca
|
Philippines
|
3,219 km
note: limited to vessels with a draft of less than 1.5 m
|
Poland
|
3,812 km (navigable rivers and canals)
|
Portugal
|
820 km
note: relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300 metric-ton or less cargo capacity
|
Romania
|
1,724 km
|
Russia
|
95,900 km (total routes in general use)
note: routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet - 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids - 60,400 km; man-made navigable routes - 16,900 km
|
Rwanda
|
Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
|
Senegal
|
897 km
note: 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river
|
Serbia and Montenegro
|
587 km (2001)
|
Sierra Leone
|
800 km (of which 600 km is navigable year round)
|
Slovakia
|
172 km (all on the Danube)
|
Spain
|
1,045 km (of minor economic importance)
|
Sri Lanka
|
430 km (navigable by shallow-draft craft)
|
Sudan
|
5,310 km
|
Suriname
|
1,200 km
note: most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging up to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways
|
Sweden
|
2,052 km
note: navigable to small steamers and barges
|
Switzerland
|
65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes
|
Syria
|
870 km (minimal economic importance)
|
Tanzania
|
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal avenues of commerce between Tanzania and its neighbors on those lakes
|
Thailand
|
4,000 km
note: 3,701 km are navigable throughout the year by boats with drafts up to 0.9 meters; numerous minor waterways serve shallow-draft native craft
|
Togo
|
50 km (Mono river)
|
Turkey
|
1,200 km (approximately)
|
Turkmenistan
|
the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan, as is the man-made Kara Kum canal
|
Uganda
|
Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
|
Ukraine
|
4,499 km
note: 1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dniester (Dnister)
|
United Kingdom
|
3,200 km
|
United States
|
41,009 km
note: navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes
|
Uruguay
|
1,600 km (used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft)
|
Uzbekistan
|
1,100 km
|
Venezuela
|
7,100 km
note: Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels
|
Vietnam
|
17,702 km
note: more than 5,149 km are navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft
|
Zambia
|
2,250 km
note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers
|
Zimbabwe
|
chrome ore is transported from Harare - by way of the Mazoe River - to the Zambezi River in Mozambique
|