Fresh Water

 

Which is the world’s longest river?

The Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America are the world’s longest rivers. The Nile is 6,670 km long, and the Amazon is 6,448 km long. It is difficult to give an exact length because these huge rivers split into tiny tributaries near their sources, and some of these dry up or change course.

The Amazon is by far the largest river because it carries more water than the Nile, Mississippi and the Yangtze put together. The Amazon is 140 km wide at its mouth, and up to 91 m deep in places.

Picture credit: google

 

 

 

 

How does a river begin?

Most of the rainwater that falls on the land returns to the sea by way of rivers. Rainwater first soaks into the ground, but once the ground is saturated the excess water begins to run off in small streams. More water comes from melting ice and snow. Small streams gradually merge and become bigger, until they eventually form a river. The tiny streams that are the source of a river often begin in damp areas such as swamps or bogs, or may flow out of a pond or lake. Usually they are in hills or mountains, where the rainfall is heaviest. 

Picture credit: google