Longest river in the world

What to remember

In northeast Africa, the river runs north to the Mediterranean, where it spreads into a delta. The Nile measures 6,650 km, following the chain Nile, White Nile, Kagera, Nyabarongo, Mwogo and Rukarara.

A river's length depends on how it is measured. Another measurement gives 7,088 km, and the Nile is sometimes placed alongside the Amazon as the longest river. Flow is another matter: the Nile carries far less water than the Amazon or the Congo, with an average discharge of 2,490 m³/s.

Its two main branches meet at Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. The White Nile, the longer one, begins near Lake Victoria; the Blue Nile, starting near Lake Tana in Ethiopia, contributes over twice as much water. The drainage basin covers 3,254,555 km², from Ethiopia and Rwanda to Egypt.