Major Rivers, Lakes, and Mountains of the World

Planetary Geography: The Big Three

Major Rivers (by length/discharge)

1. Nile (6,650 km) – NE Africa, 11 countries, Med outflow.
2. Amazon (6,400 km) – SA, largest discharge (209,000 m³/s), rainforest artery.
3. Yangtze (6,300 km) – China, longest in Asia, Three Gorges Dam.
4. Mississippi–Missouri (6,275 km) – NA, drains 41% US.
5. Yenisey–Angara (5,539 km) – Russia, Arctic outflow.
6. Yellow (Huang He) (5,464 km) – China, "Sorrow" for floods.
7. Ob–Irtysh (5,410 km) – Russia/Kazakh/China/Mongolia.
8. Paraná (4,880 km) – SA, Pantanal, Itaipu Dam.
9. Congo (4,700 km) – Africa, deepest (220 m), 2nd discharge.
10. Amur (4,444 km) – Russia/China border.

Major Lakes (by surface area/volume/depth)

1. Caspian Sea – 371,000 km², saline, endorheic (Eurasia).
2. Superior – 82,100 km², largest freshwater by area (US/CA).
3. Victoria – 68,870 km², Nile source (TZ/UG/KE).
4. Huron – 59,600 km² (US/CA).
5. Michigan – 58,000 km² (US only).
6. Tanganyika – 32,900 km², 2nd deepest (1,470 m), longest (676 km) (TZ/DRC/BU/ZM).
7. Baikal – 31,722 km², deepest (1,642 m), 20% world's fresh water (RU).
8. Great Bear – 31,153 km² (CA).
9. Malawi – 29,600 km² (MW/TZ/MZ).
10. Great Slave – 27,200 km², deepest NA (614 m) (CA).

Major Mountains (by elevation)

1. Everest – 8,848 m (Nepal/China).
2. K2 – 8,611 m (Pakistan/China).
3. Kangchenjunga – 8,586 m (Nepal/India).
4. Lhotse – 8,516 m (Nepal/China).
5. Makalu – 8,485 m (Nepal/China).
6. Cho Oyu – 8,188 m (Nepal/China).
7. Dhaulagiri – 8,167 m (Nepal).
8. Manaslu – 8,163 m (Nepal).
9. Nanga Parbat – 8,126 m (Pakistan).
10. Annapurna I – 8,091 m (Nepal).

All 14 eight-thousanders are in Himalaya/Karakoram. Rivers and lakes distribute the water they spawn.