News

The 9 Longest Rivers in the World

Published

10 months ago

December 26, 2024

175 Views

From the Nile to the Congo (Howstuffworks): Rivers are great collectors. As freshwater molecules flow along the landscape, gravity forces them to seek the lowest possible ground, where they gather with other water molecules.

The collected water soon becomes a trickle. Trickles join together to form small creeks, which then join to form larger streams and, ultimately, rivers.

A watershed is an area of land that drains all the water in a particular area to a single point: the place where a river meets the ocean. The size of a watershed can be big or small, depending on the landscape, and some watersheds can be massive.

Massive watersheds often make for humongous rivers. Where a few creeks and streams running together end and a river begins is difficult to determine, but in order to rank rivers by their length, they’ve got to start somewhere and a bit of arbitrary fudging has to happen in order to measure them.

However, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, “the length [of a river] may be considered to be the distance from the mouth to the most distant headwater source (irrespective of stream name) or from the mouth to the headwaters of the stream commonly identified as the source stream.”

So, here they are, from the Nile to the Congo — the nine longest rivers in the world:

1. The Nile River The longest river in the world is different, depending on who you ask.

Is it the Nile in Africa or the Amazon in South America? They’re comparable in length, but in 2009, a study in the International Journal of Digital Earth determined the Nile to be a bit longer at 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometers).

The Nile also is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest river.

The Nile has two major tributaries — the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which meet up in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

The Nile drains an area of 1,293,056 square miles (3,349,000 square kilometers) of Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea and Democratic Republic of the Congo, before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.

2. The Amazon River The Amazon River flows through Peru, Colombia and Brazil. Although the Nile is officially the longest river in the world, many disagree with that assessment and insist the Amazon is longer.

Certainly, it’s the world’s largest river based on the enormous volume of water it deposits into the Atlantic Ocean every day; it has a greater output of fresh water than the next seven largest rivers combined.

It also has the largest drainage area — 2,400,000 square miles (6,300,000 square kilometers) — which occupies almost 40 percent of the entire continent of South America.

Be that as it may, most researchers agree that it is only 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) long compared with the Nile’s 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometers).

3. The Yangtze RiverMost of the world’s longest rivers are in Asia, and the Yangtze is the longest of them all.

It’s actually pretty comparable in length to the Nile and Amazon rivers, measuring 3,900 miles (6,300 kilometers) long.

It is also the longest river that flows entirely within the borders of a single country, and it drains a fifth of the land area of China, a country which makes up 6.3 percent of the world’s landmass.

The mighty Yangtze River has over 700 tributary rivers and streams and its 698,265-square-mile (1,808,500-square-kilometer) watershed is home to a third of the population of China.

4. The Missouri River The longest river in North America and the fourth-longest river in the world starts as the Missouri River, which drains 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 square kilometers) of the Rocky Mountains of the U.S., as well as two Canadian Provinces.

The 2,341-mile-long (3,767-kilometer-long) Missouri meets the Mississippi River — America’s second-longest, which is only slightly shorter than the Missouri — near St. Louis, Missouri, and together their waters flow to the Gulf of Mexico.

The river system drains 32 U.S. states.

5. The Yenisey River The Yenisey River in Siberia, at 2,167 miles (3,487 kilometers) long, empties into the Arctic Ocean, and is fed by Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest lake in the world — as well as one of the clearest.

The 616-mile (992-kilometer) Selenga River begins in northern Mongolia, empties into Lake Baikal, and then the lake spits out the Angara River, which becomes the Yenisey.

Put together, the Yenisey-Angara-Selenga river system, the fifth longest river in the world, is 3,442 miles (5,539 kilometers) long.

6. The Yellow River China’s Yellow River, also called the Huang He, is 3,395 miles (5,464 kilometers) long. Its headwaters are in the Bayan Har Mountains of central China and it flows east across nine provinces and into the Bohai Sea.

Its total drainage area is 307,000 square miles (795,000 square kilometers), and archaeological evidence points to the Yellow River watershed being the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization.

7. The Ob-Irtysh River The seventh-longest river in the world is the Ob-Irtysh river system. The Ob River originates in western Siberia in the Altai Mountains and is met by the Irtysh River that begins in Mongolia and flows through China and Kazakhstan before entering Russia.

Together the two rivers drain 1,154,445 square miles (2,990,000 square kilometers) of land and are 3,360 miles (5,410 kilometers) long.

8. The Rio de la Plata-Paraná-Rio Grande Rivers The Rio Grande, which feeds the Paraná River, which empties into the Rio de La Plata, which ultimately arrives at the Atlantic Ocean at the border or Uruguay and Argentina, is the eighth-longest river in the world and the second-longest river system in South America.

The river system is 3,032 miles (4,880 kilometers) long and drains an area of 997,175 square miles (2,582,672 square kilometers) of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.

9. The Congo River The Congo River of west-central Africa is the ninth longest in the world and the second longest in Africa.

On a map, it looks a bit like a many-limbed tree, but the headwater stream farthest from its mouth into the Atlantic Ocean is the Chambeshi River high in the mountains of Zambia, giving it a length of 2,920 miles (4,700 kilometers).

The Congo river system drains 1,550,000 square miles (4,014,500 square kilometers) and is the second-largest discharge of any river in the world.

News

US lawmakers urge sanctions on Miyetti Allah, others over alleged religious violations

The resolution reads in parts, “For over a decade, Islamic terror organisations have carried out mass murder, rape, kidnappings, and other atrocities targeting mostly Nigerian Christians and non-Fulani moderate Muslim populations, resulting in mass displacement and destruction of places of worship.

Published

18 minutes ago

November 6, 2025

OCHEFA

15 Views

• US lawmakers

The United States House of Representatives has urged the Departments of State and Treasury to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and organisations, including Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, over alleged violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

The Punch reported that this is contained in a resolution introduced before the House on Tuesday from the US Congress website.

Recall that Trump, in a post on Truth over the weekend, declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and threatened to take military action if the country did not stem the alleged killings of Christians.

Filed as H. Res. 860 in the 119th Congress, the resolution, submitted by Rep. Christopher Smith with Rep. Paul Huizenga as a co-sponsor, commends President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a CPC.

The sponsors decried the alleged worsening persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.

They cited a catalogue of findings and reports that informed the measure, including media accounts and NGO data alleging large-scale attacks on civilians, destruction of places of worship, and a pattern of impunity.

” Prominent Christian and Muslim leaders have been kidnapped or assassinated, including priests, pastors, and imams who advocate for religious tolerance;

“Religious leaders, such as Father Remigius Iyhula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who testified on March 12, 2025, at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the persecution and targeted killings of Christians in the Diocese of Makurdi, have faced intimidation, threats, and harassment from both extremist groups and government authorities.”

Business

MAN Supports 15% Import Tariff on Petrol and Diesel

Published

7 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Charles Flames

3 Views

A Step Towards Strengthening Local Content and the Patronage of Made-in-Nigeria Preamble

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has commended the Federal Government for its recent approval of a 15% import tariff on petrol and diesel.

In a press release signed by Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the association recognised gesture as a strategic step and patriotic policy that aligns with the Nigeria First agenda and MAN’s long-standing advocacy for local content development and patronage of Made-in-Nigeria.

It is heartening that this is coming less than one Month after the 53rd AGM of MAN with the theme: Nigeria First: Prioritizing Patronage of Made in Nigeria Products.

The association said the strategic policy has reassured domestic manufacturers that Government is attentive to the imperatives of growing indigenous manufacturing.

It exemplifies governments commitment to halting the perennial bleeding of our patrimony; asserting the sovereignty of the great country; guaranteeing energy sufficiency and security, and improving the overall wellbeing of Nigerians in this regards.

This is a sure step in the promotion of local value addition, strengthening domestic refining capacity, conserving foreign exchange, and advancing Nigeria’s long-term industrialisation objectives.

MAN’s Position:

1. Unfettered implementation of the domestic supply of crude and enshrined in the PIA. This will ensure the Naira for crude arrangement that will ensure effective and reliable supply of crude to the local refineries and reduce the pressure on our scarce foreign exhange.

It will also attract more investors, including the holders of the 30 refininery licenses to commit resources in the sector.

2. There is no better path to fixing Nigeria’s economy than protecting local industries, encouraging local patronage, fostering value addition, and promoting industrial development anchored on local content.

3. Nigeria is blessed with enormous oil resources. Unfortunately, scarce forex in billions of dollars is still being spent on importing refined petroleum.

Supporting local refining capacity through appropriate policy tools will conserve scarce foreign exchange, improve the stability of the Naira, and foster a more favourable macroeconomic environment for investment.

In view of above, MAN duly:

i. recognises the importance, significance, and necessity of the approval of the 15% import tariff on petroleum products — petrol and diesel.

ii. Acknowledges that the tariff is a rightful, deliberately designed policy instrument intended to protect and encourage domestic producers, curb dumping, and create a stable environment for local refiners to thrive.

iii. Notes that the tariff will accelerate operational readiness of domestic refineries, thereby reducing disruptions and stabilising energy supply to industries.

iv. Supports the 15% import tariff as an industrial policy instrument that will:

• Encourage the utilisation of local refining capacity and promote backward integration across the energy value chain.

• Conserve foreign exchange by reducing the nation’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products.

• Strengthen the manufacturing base through a more stable and predictable fuel supply.

• Generate employment opportunities, build technical expertise, and strengthen industrial linkages between refineries and manufacturers.

• Promote local content development and stimulate demand for Nigerian engineering, fabrication and logistics services.

v. MAN views this policy as a vital step in achieving energy independence and industrial sustainability, both of which are prerequisites for Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Call for Transparent and Balanced Implementation:

While supporting the 15% tariff imposition, MAN calls for transparent, efficient, and well-coordinated implementation to ensure its benefits reach both industry and consumers, safeguard competitiveness, and prevent unintended cost burdens.

Specifically, MAN calls for:

i. Transparent price monitoring: Government and regulators (PPPRA, NMDPRA, FCCPC) should closely monitor domestic pricing to prevent excessive mark-ups or anti-competitive behaviour.

ii. Stable transition period: During the initial months of implementation, the government should support local refiners to ensure adequate fuel availability and prevent supply shocks or speculative hoarding, particularly with the festive period approaching.

iii. Reinvestment of tariff revenue: Proceeds from the import duty should be reinvested into energy infrastructure, refinery efficiency, and power support schemes for industries, including credit facilities for industrial energy transition and renewable adoption.

iv. SMIs support measures: Provide targeted incentives or rebatesfor small and medium manufacturers reliant on diesel-powered generators during the transition period.

v. Support the development of more local refineries: The government should create an enabling environment and provide targeted incentives to attract investment in additional modular and conventional refineries, thereby strengthening domestic refining capacity, promoting competition, and ensuring long-term energy security.

vii. Ensure stakeholder harmony in the energy sector: The government should foster continuous engagement among refiners, marketers, regulators, and consumers to prevent disputes, ensure policy coherence, and sustain market stability.

viii. Move speedily to fully privatize the government owned refinery as it is evident that we may never succeed in restoring them to functionality under the current dispensation.

Selling off the refineries will stop the commitment of our scarce financial resources to an evidently irredeemable venture.

MAN acknowledges this major step in the implementation of Nigeria First policy of government. We are committed to supporting the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy direction, especially on local content development and home grown industrialisation.

MAN believes that this tariff will accelerate the country’s journey toward energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and sustainable economic growth — all anchored on the strength of Made-in-Nigeria.

News

Abuja Gears Up for Nigerian Guild of Editors Conference

Published

9 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Charles Flames

22 Views

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, is buzzing with anticipation as it prepares to host the annual conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

News organizations across the nation are sending their top brass – editors from print, online, broadcast, and news agencies – to the heart of Nigeria for this highly anticipated event.

The conference is scheduled for November 12th and 13th, 2025, promising a dynamic exchange of ideas and insights.

Journalists and media professionals will converge to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the Nigerian media landscape.

In a press release signed by President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Eze Anaba, no fewer than 500 members of the NGE, government officials, members of the business community and diplomatic corps as well as people from all walks of life are expected at the two-day conference holding at the Presidential Villa Banquet Hall, Abuja and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Jahi, Abuja respectively.

NGE President, Eze Anaba and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu will declare the conference open on November 12, 2025 at the Presidential Villa Banquet Hall, Abuja, while the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar and Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of Arise New and This Day newspaper will be Chairman of conference.

The Guild said that Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, will be keynote speaker, emphasizing that the theme of the conference, “Democratic Governance and National Cohesion:

The Role of Editors,” and sub-theme as: “Electoral Integrity and Trust Deficit: What Nigerians Expect in 2027” are germane at this time when the country is facing socio-political and economic challenges.

Stating that the editors’ conference is a credible platform to discuss and proffer solutions to issues pertaining to national development and cohesion, the Guild said that papers and speakers have been carefully selected to address nagging issues in governance, polity and journalism.

The statement said that Prof Awa Kalu, eminent lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Managing Partner, Awa Kalu & Partners, will address the conference on November 12, 2025, speaking on “Election Disputes and Judicial Integrity: Navigating the Thin Line Between Law and Politics.

“Prof Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, HOD, Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja, will take the stage thereafter to speak on: ” State of the Nation: Imperative of Economic and Political Reforms in Challenged Nation” to conclude the day’s event.

On the second day of the conference on November 13, 2025 at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, former Chief of Defence State, Gen Lucky Irabor, will speak on “Media, Terrorism, and National Security: Addressing the Complexities, ” while Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies,

Baze University, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, will interrogate “The Evolving Face of Journalism: Battling Misinformation, AI Disruption, and Credibility Gap.

“The NGE said that there would be an Executive Session on the second day of the conference, where editors will engage government officials, political and business leaders.

The ANEC holds every year for editors to address national issues that have social, economic and political consequences in Nigeria.