What is the longest river in the world?

Have you ever wondered what the longest river in the world looks like? And the deepest river? But ancient civilizations were created here, on the banks of deep rivers, and existed only thanks to a constant source of fresh water.

River and lake in ancient times were the only available source of fresh water. That is why virtually all great states were created near these sources. Mesopotamia, Egypt, India. The history of the foundation of each of these ancient civilizations, one way or another, is connected with rivers. But do you know what the longest river in the world is? And what about the deepest? This information will be useful for every person interested.

The longest river in the world

In fact, until recently, this issue remained unresolved. It was believed that it was the Nile - the longest river in the world. It was here that the first settlements first appeared, which then expanded and formed one of the most famous ancient states - Egypt. The history and traditions of this civilization are investigated to this day. But it was thanks to the annual floods of the Nile River that the existence of the state became possible.

Beginning its river takes on the East African plateau, and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The length of the Nile is about 6852 kilometers.

But the longest river in the world is the Amazon. To date, the data is quite accurate. The length of the river is 6,992 kilometers (only a few kilometers longer than the Nile). Most of the river is in the territory of modern Brazil, but it also flows through Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. By the way, the Amazon forms the world's largest delta.

The longest river in the world is also shrouded in interesting legends. It is believed that the first Europeans to set foot on these lands were the people of Francisco de Orellana. There are traditions that say that on the banks of the river lived an ancient and powerful tribe of Amazons - female warriors. By the way, it was in their honor that the river was named. Although, in truth, few modern historians are inclined to such a version. It is believed that the Europeans met either with an Indian tribe (most men wore long hair) or with their wives.

The deepest river in the world

Interestingly, it is on the African continent that there are two unique rivers - the Nile (one of the longest) and the Congo, which today is considered the deepest. The length of the river is 4700 kilometers. In the place where the Congo empties into the Atlantic Ocean, the depth of the river is more than 230 meters. Another interesting fact - Congo is the only river in the world that crosses the equator line twice.

The river owes its name to the ancient and powerful kingdom of the Congo, which once existed on its shores. As for the European pioneer, it became the Portuguese traveler Diogu Kan, who set foot on the bank of the river in 1482.

The biggest river in Europe

Although the rivers of Europe are more modest in size, nevertheless, their study is also interesting. To date, it is believed that the largest European river is the Volga, whose sources are on the Valdai Upland. And the Volga also has its own legends and history. For example, at one time the Tatar-Mongol invaders moved through it. Already in the eighth century the river was an important trade route between the western and eastern states. And in 1667 it was on the Volga cliff that Stepan Razin considered ways of liberating the Russian people.

The second longest river is the Danube, which is 2,960 kilometers long. The river takes its beginning in the Germanic mountains, but flows into the Black Sea. The earliest references were found in the works of the ancient historian Herodotus. In those days the river bore the name Istres, and its banks were the residence of Celtic tribes.

Today, the Danube is often called an international river. Indeed, many large, important cities were built on its banks, including Vienna, Linz, Regensburg, Budapest, Bratislava, Ruse, Belgrade and Galati.