The rivers of the world are pretty incredible, and the easiest way to get that across is with a selection of fascinating facts. So here’s a list of amazing statistics and truths that I’ve uncovered about some of the major rivers in the world, and water in general.

#1 The longest river in the world is the River Nile. Many of us know this, but do you know its relative length? It is 4,132 miles long, and to put that into perspective, the road distance (so not as-the-crow-flies) from John O’Groats to Lands End is around 840 miles. So imagine driving the length of the UK five times – that’s how big this river is.

#2 There are numerous candidates for shortest river in the world but the Ombla in Croatia is probably the winner – it is only 30 metres long. Not particularly worthy of a river cruise.

#3 The longest river in Europe is the Volga, which is just over half the length of the Nile.

#4 Half of the top 10 rivers in the world are in Asia, including the Yangtze – the longest river in the world that only flows through one country (China).

#5 If all of the water in the world could fit into a gallon container, only one teaspoon would be freshwater that could be safely drank.

#6 In terms of the volume of water that moves through a river, the Amazon is actually the biggest. It’s even bigger than the next five (Ganges, Congo, Orinoco, Yangtze and Madeira) combined.

#7 Almost half of all rivers in the world flow into the Atlantic Ocean, making it the largest outflow destination.

Hopefully you’ll be able to wow some people with your new found knowledge, but if you know any more facts that we’ve missed off this list, feel free to add them in the comments below.

By Ian Lewis
Google