JF Ptak Science Books LLC Post 216
Well, all I needed was a list of the lengths of 50 or so of the major rivers int he world, and I just couldn't come up with one easily, so I threw this together this very simple list of the top 95 rivers by length. The ironic point here is that I own quite a number of antiquarian maps which beautifully display this data--I just couldn't find the data in a digital/manipulable form. It would be nice to have the areas drained by each and some other factors, but this is all I needed for the map store, and so I'll share it here. There are two lists below, the first listing the rivers by length and the second listing them alphabetically.
By Length (River Name, Continent, Length in Miles)
Nile Africa 4132
Amazon South America 3900
Yangtze Asia 3430
Hwang Ho Asia 2093
Congo Africa 2900
Amur Asia 2802
Lena Asia 2653
Mackenzie North America 2635
Mekong Asia 2600
Niger Africa 2590 
Yenisey Asia 2565
Missouri North America 2466
Parana South America 2450
Mississippi North America 2330
Irtish Asia 2300
La Plata Paraguay South America 2300
Volga Europe 2293
Ob Asia 2260
Madeira South America 2060
Indus Asia 1980
Purus South America 1900
St. Lawrence North America 1900
Rio Grande North America 1885
Brahmaputra Asia 1800
Orinoco South America 1800
Sao Francisco South America 1800
Yukon North America 1800
Danube Europe 1770
Darling Australia 1750
Salween Asia 1730
Euphrates Asia 1675
Syr Darya Asia 1653
Zambezi Africa
Tocantins South America 1640
Araguaia South America 1630
Amu Darya Asia 1628
Kolyma Asia 1615
Murray Australia 1600
Angara Asia 1550
Ganges Asia 1550
Pilcomayo South America 1550
Ural Asia 1522
Vilyuy Asia 1513
Arkansas North America 1450
Colorado North America 1450
Irrawaddy Asia 1425
Dnieper Europe 1420
Aldan Asia 1392
Negro South America 1305
Paraguay South America 1290
Kama Europe 1261
Xingu South America 1230
Don Europe 1224 
Ucayali South America 1220
Columbia North America 1214
Saskatchewan North America 1205
Jurua South America 1200
Peace North America 1195
Orange Africa 1155
Tigris Asia 1150
Pechora Europe 1118
Dvina Europe 1100
Tobol Asia 1093
Snake North America 1038
Uruguay South America 1025
Red North America 1018
Churchill North America 1000
Maranon South America 1000
Ohio North America 981
Magdelna South America 950
Roosevelt South America 950
Godavari Asia 930
Si Asia 930
Oka Europe 920
Canadian North America 906
Dnestr Europe 876
Brazos North America 870
Salado South America 870
Fraser North America 850
Parnaiba South America 850
Colorado North America 840
Rhine Europe 820
Narbada Asia 800
Athabasca North America 765
Donets Europe 735
Pecos North America 735
Green North America 730
Elbe Europe 720
James North America 710
Ottawa North America 696 
White North America 690
Cumberland North America 687
Gambia Africa 680
Yellowstone North America 671
Tennessee North America 652
By Name (River Name, Continent, Length in Miles)
Aldan Asia 1392
Amazon South America 3900
Amu Darya Asia 1628
Amur Asia 2802
Angara Asia 1550
Araguaia South America 1630
Arkansas North America 1450
Athabasca North America 765
Brahmaputra Asia 1800
Brazos North America 870
Canadian North America 906
Churchill North America 1000
Colorado North America 1450
Colorado North America 840
Columbia North America 1214
Congo Africa 2900
Cumberland North America 687
Danube Europe 1770
Darling Australia 1750
Dnestr Europe 876
Dnieper Europe 1420
Don Europe 1224
Donets Europe 735
Dvina Europe 1100
Elbe Europe 720
Euphrates Asia 1675
Fraser North America 850
Gambia Africa 680
Ganges Asia 1550
Godavari Asia 930
Green North America 730
Hwang Ho Asia 2093
Indus Asia 1980
Irrawaddy Asia 1425
Irtish Asia 2300
James North America 710
Jurua South America 1200
Kama Europe 1261
Kolyma Asia 1615
La Plata Paraguay South America 2300
Lena Asia 2653
Mackenzie North America 2635
Madeira South America 2060
Magdelna South America 950
Maranon South America 1000
Mekong Asia 2600
Mississippi North America 2330
Missouri North America 2466
Murray Australia 1600
Narbada Asia 800
Negro South America 1305
Niger Africa 2590
Nile Africa 4132
Ob Asia 2260
Ohio North America 981
Oka Europe 920
Orange Africa 1155
Orinoco South America 1800
Ottawa North America 696
Paraguay South America 1290
Parana South America 2450
Parnaiba South America 850
Peace North America 1195
Pechora Europe 1118
Pecos North America 735
Pilcomayo South America 1550
Purus South America 1900
Red North America 1018
Rhine Europe 820
Rio Grande North America 1885
Roosevelt South America 950
Salado South America 870
Salween Asia 1730
Sao Francisco South America 1800
Saskatchewan North America 1205
Si Asia 930
Snake North America 1038
St. Lawrence North America 1900
Syr Darya Asia 1653
Tennessee North America 652
Tigris Asia 1150
Tobol Asia 1093
Tocantins South America 1640
Ucayali South America 1220
Ural Asia 1522
Uruguay South America 1025
Vilyuy Asia 1513
Volga Europe 2293
White North America 690
Xingu South America 1230
Yangtze Asia 3430
Yellowstone North America 671
Yenisey Asia 2565
Yukon North America 1800
Zambezi Africa
I see the Colorado listed at 1450 miles...impressive. And, it is listed again at 840 miles.
Careful use of my calculator tells me that the mighty Colorado is a top-twenty river!! You just add the two numbers, right?
(I'm goofing on you here, John--I don't know where the second number comes from, but I know the Colorado is not over 2000 miles long. Maybe two branches, both given the same name?)
Posted by: Rick | 25 August 2008 at 07:56 PM
Oh, I see...Texas has its own version, which is the shorter of the two.
Posted by: Rick | 25 August 2008 at 07:59 PM