The
longest river
It is argument
between scientists that whether Nile is the longest river or Amazon is.
Traditionally, the Nile is considered longer, but recent information suggests
that the Amazon may be longer. Nile is noted to have a length of 6650 km.
Differences in the recorded length of the Amazon mainly depend on whether or
not it is valid to take a course south of the Ilha de Marajó at the Amazon's
mouth. New evidence in 2007 states that the
Amazon is longer than the Nile by 100km, with its longest headwater being the
Carhuasanta stream originating in the south of Peru on the Nevado Mismi
mountain's northern slopes and flowing into the Río Apurímac.
 |
| River Nile |
The widest river with largest drainage basin
Amazon is not only the World’s longest river but even the World’s
widest river. It has a waterflow with an average discharge
greater than the next seven largest rivers combined (not including Madeira and
Rio Negro, which are tributaries of the Amazon). The Amazon, which has the
largest drainage basin in the world, about 7,050,000 square kilometers (2,720,000
sq mi), accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total river
flow.
The
shortest river
The Roe River in
Great Falls, Montana is only 201 ft. long. The D River is 440 ft. long. The Roe
River is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest
river. The Roe flows 200 feet between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near
Great Falls. The Roe River competes with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon
for the title of the shortest river. Both rivers have been measured on
different occasions, with lengths varying from 58 feet to 200 feet.
Schoolchildren in Great Falls campaigned successfully to have the Roe River
placed in the Guinness Book of World
Records. The source of the Roe River, Giant Springs, is the largest
freshwater spring in the United States.
The
deepest river
The Congo River (in the past also known as
the Zaire River) is a river in Africa,
and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of
220 m (720 ft). It is the third largest river in the world by volume
of water discharged. Additionally, its overall length of 4,700 km
(2,920 mi) makes it the ninth longest river.
The
fastest river
The fastest river is
the Passiac River at Paterson NJ is hands down the fastest flowing river in the
world during flood stage. The Great Falls of the Passaic River at
Paterson NJ falls 77 ft into an extreme narrow gorge which at the head of the
gorge the river channel is no more than 25-30 ft wide. It is at this point in
the falls into which the greatest volume of river water plummets. At flood
stage when there are many billions of gallons per day going over the falls, the
combination of the velocity of the descending water crushing down onto the
channel squeezes or puts pressure onto the water in the channel from above.
This combined with a very narrow cross section causes the velocity in that
short and small section of the river to easily flow some 70 mph. This is not a manmade
channel, it is natural, so the flow velocity during floods is the fastest
naturally occurring flow .
The
sacred river
Ganga River in India
emerges from the depths of Gangotri glacier. The
Gangotri glacier is situated at the height of4255 m above sea level and is
approx 24 km in length and 7-8 km in width. It has been studied by Scientists
that the water collected from Ganga at its origin is in a pure state and even
after being kept for several years, does not get contaminated. These medicinal
properties of Ganga are attributed to the medicinal secretions of herbs and
mineral content which get mixed with the water. A recent research states that despite being polluted, the waters of the Ganges still possess
‘medicinal qualities’ and could pave the way for developing new ‘anti-microbial
compounds’. Please view references for more details.
The
oldest river
The Finke River is one of the largest
rivers in central Australia. The Finke River has long been cited as "the oldest river in the world",
particularly by tour operators, and in popular books and brochures. The river
must have formed before the ranges were pushed up; this happened in a mountain
building event referred to as the Alice Springs Orogeny which peaked between
400 and 300 million years age. Some parts of the river’s course must have been
already in existence around this time. But southern parts of its course must be
much younger because the areas where the Finke now flows near the southern edge
of the Northern Territory, and further south, were under the sea during the Mesozoic
Era.
The
polluted rivers
Ohio River is the
most polluted river of United States with 274 pounds of cancer causing solvents
named tetrachloroethlylene into waterways. The most sacred river, Ganga which
is worshipped as goddess by Hindus is among the top five polluted rivers of the
world. Pollution has not only threatened the population around but the aquatic
and amphibian creatures. The Ganga Action Plan which initiated the river cleaning
process is a total failure due to corruption and lack of technical expertise.
 |
| Polluted Ganga |
Underwater
river
Rio Secreto, Mexico
is unbelievable underwater river. It is a tourist attraction. It has got cave
formation due to minerals stalactites and stalagmites. It is a magical
experience for all tourists.
 |
| Rio Secreto |
The beautiful river
Known as “the river
that ran away from paradise,” the Caño Cristales in northern Colombia is often
considered the most beautiful river in the world. Stunning, multi-hued algal
streaks paint the riverbed in a kaleidoscopic palette of reds, yellows, blues,
greens and blacks, while glassy waterfalls spill into neon-colored tide pools.
The otherworldly rainbow effect emerges only during the height of summer when
the heat helps resident algae colonies to grow and multiply, filling craters
and eddies with intense bursts of color.
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment