The 70 Most Famous Rivers in the World

Ranked by English Wikipedia pageviews, averaged over 6 months — the closer to #1, the more famous.

Danube leads the ranking, ahead of Nile, Mississippi, Amazon and Ganges — the arteries of civilisation, ordered by English Wikipedia pageviews. Some flow past a dozen capital cities; the back half is where geography class strikes back. Scroll all 70, then see how many you could name downstream.

▶ Play the Name 100 Rivers challenge
  1. DanubeThe Danube is a river in Europe, the second-longest after the Volga.
  2. NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeast Africa which empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
  3. MississippiMississippi is a state in the Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States.
  4. AmazonThe Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the second-longest or…
  5. GangesThe Ganges is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh.
  6. RhineThe Rhine is one of the major rivers of Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps.
  7. EuphratesThe Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia.
  8. ThamesThe River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London.
  9. ColoradoColorado is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States.
  10. YangtzeThe Yangtze River, Yangzi River or Chang Jiang is the longest river in China and the third-longest river in the world.
  11. VolgaThe Volga is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world.
  12. MissouriMissouri is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States.
  13. Yellow RiverThe Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth, with…
  14. IndusThe Indus is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia.
  15. Rio GrandeThe Rio Grande, in the United States, or the Río Bravo, in Mexico, also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo, is one of the principal…
  16. HudsonThe Hudson River is a 315-mile (507 km) river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York state.
  17. JordanJordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.
  18. OhioOhio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States.
  19. CongoThe Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as…
  20. TigrisThe Tigris is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates.
  21. ColumbiaThe Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
  22. MekongThe Mekong or Mekong River is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
  23. PotomacThe Potomac River is in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to…
  24. BrahmaputraThe Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh.
  25. SeineThe Seine is a 777-kilometre-long (483 mi) river in northern France.
  26. ElbeThe Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before…
  27. RhôneThe Rhône is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and…
  28. DnieperThe Dnieper or Dnepr, also known as the Dnipro, is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills…
  29. NigerThe Niger River is the main river of West Africa, extending about 4,180 kilometres.
  30. SusquehannaThe Susquehanna River is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeast states.
  31. ZambeziThe Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the…
  32. St. LawrenceThe St. Lawrence River is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes with…
  33. Amu DaryaThe Amu Darya, historically known as the Oxus, is a major river in Central Asia which flows through Afghanistan, Tajikistan,…
  34. TiszaThe Tisza, Tysa, Tisa, or Theiss is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe.
  35. VistulaThe Vistula is the longest river in Poland and the longest river draining into the Baltic Sea, at 1,047 kilometres in length.
  36. GodavariThe Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about…
  37. OrinocoThe Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,140 km (1,330 mi).
  38. SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, with a length of 220 miles (354 km).
  39. SnakeThe Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
  40. TiberThe Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in…
  41. YamunaThe Yamuna is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India.
  42. MackenzieThe Mackenzie River is a river in the Canadian boreal forest and tundra.
  43. PoThe Po is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps.
  44. LimpopoLimpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western…
  45. VltavaThe Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River.
  46. AmurThe Amur River or Heilong River is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East…
  47. ArkansasArkansas is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States.
  48. DelawareDelaware is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States.
  49. MeuseThe Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining…
  50. MurrayThe Murray River is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river, having an extent of 2,508 km (1,558 mi).
  51. White NileThe White Nile is a river in North and East Africa. It is the less voluminous, but longer, of the two major tributaries of the…
  52. DouroThe Douro is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge.
  53. LoireThe Loire is the longest river in France and the 171st-longest in the world.
  54. TagusThe Tagus is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in…
  55. YukonThe Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America.
  56. TennesseeTennessee, officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States.
  57. Blue NileThe Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately 1,450 km (900 mi) through Ethiopia and Sudan.
  58. KrishnaThe Krishnā River in the Deccan Plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga and Godavari.
  59. EbroThe Ebro is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain.
  60. OderThe Oder is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the…
  61. LenaThe Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into…
  62. TrentThe Trent, the third-longest river in the United Kingdom, has its source in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor.
  63. MoselleThe Moselle is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany.
  64. GuadalquivirThe Guadalquivir is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain.
  65. Syr DaryaThe Syr Darya, historically known as the Jaxartes, is a river in Central Asia.
  66. ParanáThe Paraná River is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some 4,880…
  67. FraserThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the…
  68. ShannonThe River Shannon is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at 360 km in length, is the longest river in the British Isles.
  69. KolymaKolyma or Kolyma Krai is a historical region in the Russian Far East that includes the basin of Kolyma River and the northern…
  70. MerseyThe River Mersey is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly…

Think you can name all 70?

Name 100 Rivers

The viral timed quiz: name 70 rivers in 10 minutes — every answer verified, no signup.

More challenges to beat

Ten minutes. One hundred names. Your move.

Name 100 Movies Name 100 YouTubers Name 100 Video Games Name 100 Animals
Play all 45 challenges →