News
The 9 Longest Rivers in the World
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.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria has commissioned the newly constructed Ihovbor/Benin and Ihovbor/Ajaokuta 330kV Turn-In Turn-Out transmission lines at the Ihovbor Transmission Substation, Edo State. The event took place today, 14th May, 2026.
MD/CEO Engr. Dr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz described the project as a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure and improving transmission network reliability nationwide.
He said the 14km double-circuit line links the existing Benin/Ajaokuta 330kV route to the Ihovbor substation, creating two new routes that increase operational flexibility and resilience in the Benin corridor.
“The project has increased the operational flexibility of the transmission network and strengthened the resilience of power delivery within the Benin corridor,” Abdulaziz said. “It grants TCN the ability to more efficiently evacuate power generated by the Azura Power Plant and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company facility, alleviate transmission bottlenecks, and enhance system reliability.”
He noted that the additional 600MW evacuation capacity will allow distribution companies access to more bulk electricity for customers nationwide. The circuit which was energised on 23rd April, 2026, has been in service since, with customers of distribution companies already benefiting from the project.
Abdulaziz explained that TCN’s mandate is to transmit power from generating companies distribution load centres. “Our job is to transmit the power from the generators to the load centers. It is the responsibility of distribution companies to offtake and distribute to customers. With this project, distribution companies will have more bulk power available for industries and residential customers” he said.
He reaffirmed TCN’s commitment to expanding transmission infrastructure to meet current demand and prepare for future growth, and called on host communities to support efforts to protect installations against vandalism.
On his part, the Managing Director of Energo Nigeria, Predrag Mihel, said the project involved 30 towers and twin Bison conductors capable of supporting up to 1.5GW from the NIPP and Azura plants. He credited its completion to strong collaboration between TCN and ENERGO.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager Engineering, Engr. Mojid Akintola, said the project was awarded in 2017 but faced challenges with right of way and funding, which have now been resolved.
He thanked the Ihovbor host community, contractor Energo, and the entire TCN team, particularly the MD/CEO, for making today’s commissioning possible.
The General Manager of Benin Region, Engr. Charles Iwuamadi said that the project adds over 600MW of wheeling capacity to the region and clarified that TCN is only a bulk transporter of electricity, does not distribute electricity to end users. Distribution companies directly interface with electricity consumers.
Representing the Enogie of Ihovbor/Evbueka, Mr. Elliot Imafido commended TCN on the project but appealed that indigenes of the community be prioritised in employment and also that electricity supply to the host community be improved.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has thrown its weight behind Governor Umo Eno as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election, paving the way for his second-term ambition under the ruling party.
Governor Eno, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in 2025, formally submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms for the APC governorship primaries in early May 2026. He described the second term as necessary to complete ongoing projects and consolidate the gains of his ARISE Agenda.
Speaking after submitting the forms in Abuja, Governor Eno called on APC members to support his nomination during the primaries, expressing confidence that his administration’s developmental strides would earn him the party’s backing and the people’s mandate.
“I have just submitted the nomination form. We call on members of APC to support our nomination during the primaries, as we will continue to pray and trust God for more development to thrive in the state,” he said.
Several APC stakeholders and local government chapters in the state have already endorsed Governor Eno’s second-term bid, describing it as a move for continuity and project completion. The governor has repeatedly highlighted numerous ongoing infrastructure and developmental initiatives that require additional time to deliver maximum impact.
The development marks a significant political realignment in Akwa Ibom, as Eno positions the state under the APC platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
Party sources indicate that the APC leadership is working towards a smooth process for the governor’s emergence as the party’s flag bearer, though the formal primaries are yet to be held.
Governor Eno was first elected in 2023 under the PDP before switching to the APC.
The Lagos State Government has successfully registered over 6.4 million residents into its digital identity database, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to enhance governance, planning, and public service delivery.
The achievement was announced under the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and the Lagos Identity Card Project (LAG ID). According to officials, the initiative aims to create a comprehensive, reliable database of residents to improve targeted service delivery, urban planning, and overall governance efficiency.
Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Olatunbosun Alake, who provided the update, described the Lagos Identity Card Project as a critical tool for the state’s digital transformation agenda. He emphasized that the captured data will support better resource allocation and more effective delivery of government services.
The exercise forms part of Lagos State’s broader push toward a digital economy, enabling smoother access to services such as healthcare, social welfare, transportation, and other citizen-centric programmes. Officials noted that the database will help in accurate planning for infrastructure and social interventions.
With Lagos being Nigeria’s most populous state, estimated to have over 20 million residents, the registration of 6.4 million people represents a substantial step forward, though authorities say efforts are ongoing to capture more residents.
The state government has reiterated its commitment to data-driven governance and urged residents yet to register to take advantage of the ongoing exercise for better inclusion in government services.
TCN Commissions 330kV Turn-In Turn-Out Lines in Edo to Boost Power Evacuation
National Data Repository Index Numbers of patients currently on treatment for HIV in Nigeria as at May 13, 2026
Xenophobia: Do South Africa’s Attacks Give Credence to Botha’s Assertion?
Tech Expert, Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions, Adesanya, Alexander
Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu bags 10 years in UK prison
SAINT OBI: Between his marriage and his death
-
Crime3 days agoCult-related Shooting in Makurdi Leaves 6 Dead
-
News3 days agoFrom 299 to 374: UTME Candidates Set New Benchmarks in Highest Scores from 2013–2026
-
Sports3 days agoAgain, Dembele wins French player of the year title
-
Entertainment2 days agoBreaking: Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo dies at 40
-
Sports3 days agoFC Barcelona retains Flick club’s manager until 2018
-
Sports3 days agoLagos Excited To Host World Table Tennis ,says LOC
-
Business3 days ago“We Will Open Africa” — A Conversation with Aliko Dangote
-
Business2 days ago
Dangote to flood Nigerian markets with 1 million metric tons of paddy rice