Top 10 longest rivers in North America

Our planet is visible from space mainly in blue, since two-thirds of it is covered with water. This, of course, is primarily oceans and seas, but not only: large rivers, like blood arteries, stretch across the entire surface of the globe. Some of them are thousands of kilometers long, and people settled on their banks tens of thousands of years ago. A sea of ​​blood has been spilled in the wars for the right to call the waterways by their proper names, they separate different countries from each other and provide resources for millions of people.

It would take a lot of writing to cover them all, so we decided to limit ourselves to the longest rivers in North America. They have a rich history, incredible size and a lot of interesting facts.

10 South Red River, 2 km

South Red River flows in the south of the United States of America, being a tributary of the Mississippi. It flows through Texas and Oklahoma, forming the border between these states, and also captures Louisiana, where it flows into the Mississippi.

In 1943, the Denison Dam was built on the river, due to which Lake Tehomo appeared with an area of ​​more than 350 square kilometers. In addition to Tehomo, Red River also has Lake Caddo, famous for its cypress forest, which is the largest on Earth.

9. Colorado, 2 km

The river starts in the Rocky Mountains Colorado and flows to the border of the states of Nevada and Arizona. According to archaeological research, the first people began to settle on the banks of the river as early as 8 years ago, and about 000 years ago, the first large settlements appeared.

Interesting fact: it is generally accepted that, crossing the Mexican border, the river flows into the Gulf of California of the Pacific Ocean, although in the last 20 years this has not been entirely true. Due to the fact that water from Colorado is actively taken for agricultural and other needs, it reaches the ocean only during periods of severe floods. The last one was in 1998.

8. Colombia, 2 km

River Colombia, crossing the states of Ohio, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia – a place that people have chosen 15 years ago. It was then that the first inhabitants appeared in its pools, which only became more over time (they mainly hunted by catching salmon, which is in abundance in the river).

Now it has 14 hydroelectric power plants, because due to significant elevation changes in short stretches, it is ideal for these purposes. In all of Canada, and even in North America, there is no river where more hydropower is produced.

7. Arkansas, 2 km

The third largest tributary of the Mississippi flows through the Great Plains and the states Арканзас, Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. The first 200 km are 100% consistent with the concept of a “mountain river”: the slopes have become a favorite place for extreme sportsmen. For example, rafting competitions are regularly held here – down the river in special inflatable boats.

6. Nelson — Saskatchewan, 2 km

The sixth line of our top is occupied by the river Nelson-Saskatchewan, which, in fact, consists of two rivers combined into one. The beauty of its pools and coastline makes it a favorite holiday destination for locals and is visited by thousands of tourists every year.

5. Rio Grande, 3 km

River Rio Grande, along which the border between the United States and Mexico lies, is not only of great natural importance (it is the fourth longest in the States), but also of great historical importance.

In the first half of the 1848th century, when the Texas War of Independence was going on, it was the Rio Grande that separated the newly formed Republic of Texas from the rest of Mexico, which caused the war between America and Mexico. Only in XNUMX, after the signing of an agreement, the river became the border between the countries.

It is noteworthy that it was and remains a kind of road for illegal immigrants in both directions: at first, in the XNUMXth century, black slaves and criminals fled to Mexico along it, as the Mexican government indulged them. Later, already in the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries, they began to flee to the United States, and not bandits, but ordinary people hoping to find work and provide for their families.

Mexico’s economy is far from optimal: the unemployment rate is huge, as is the crime rate. Millions of people in the country are ready to leave their homes and go in search of a better life following the “American dream”, and the Rio Grande is their path to this goal.

4. St. Lawrence River – Niagara – Detroit – St. Clair – St. Marys – St. Louis, 3 km

Saint Lawrence River – Niagara – Detroit – St. Clair – St. Marys – St. Louis has not only a long name, but also takes the honorable 4th place in our ranking of the longest rivers in the world.

It is noteworthy that only 48% of the river is located in America, and 52% flow in Canada. Many small towns and villages located nearby live solely on fishing.

3. Yukon, 3 184 km

River Yukon struck people hundreds of years ago with its size: the name itself is translated from the language of the Gwich’in tribe as “Big River”.

The most surprising thing is that the Eskimos, who lived in the lower part of the stream, called it “Kwikpak”, which translates exactly the same. It turns out that two nations independently gave her an identical name.

After it was established that the Yukon and the Quickpak are the same river, the sale of Alaska followed (Russia sold it to the United States) in 1863 and the current name was finally assigned to it.

2. Mackenzie – Slave – Peace – Finlay, 4 km

The Mackenzie River itself, although it is the longest in Canada (1 km), would not have made it to our top anyway. However, due to the fact that it is included in the system of rivers Mackenzie – Slave – Peace – Finlayshe belongs here.

The river is also interesting because it is almost a mirror image of the Mississippi, flowing in the opposite direction. Thus, these two rivers divide the mainland in half.

1. Mississippi – Missouri – Jefferson, 6 km

The Mississippi is one of the largest rivers on the planet and the main one in the system. Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson.

Native Americans (Indians) lived on these shores from time immemorial, who were mostly engaged in hunting and gathering, but eventually learned to build settlements, the remains of which archaeologists find to this day. Their habitual, measured way of life was completely changed with the arrival of Europeans in 1500, who quickly realized that these waters would become an important route of communication and trade.

The river valleys used to be the most fertile in the States thanks to the thick layer of silt that covers the bottom. Over time, the waters became polluted and now the situation is close to catastrophic: what is the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico worth about, which environmentalists have been trumpeting for many years.

Interesting fact: the river originally belonged to France (the area was named Louisiana in 1682 in honor of King Louis). In 1763, the river lands were divided between Spain and Great Britain, but in 1800 the French bought the Spanish part in order to sell it to the United States of America 3 years later. The entire mouth of the river came into the possession of the Americans only in 1812, when they managed to defeat the British in the Battle of Orleans. If in any of these events the other side won, then modern geography would be completely different.