I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been interested in taking a river cruise. Unlike normal cruises, you’re taken directly to some of the best spots in the world- since so many great towns and cities were originally built on rivers.
I recently read this infographic about some of the world’s rivers, and it made me even more excited to spend some time on a river or two!
Did you know that the Nile river is 4100 miles long? It runs through Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zaire, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and of course, Egypt.
The ancient Egyptian calendar was based on the 3 Nile River cycles. Each season was made up of 4 months, and each month was 30 days- similar to the way our calendar works today.
Along the Nile, you’ll see the Temple of Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Temple of Luxor. You’ll also see lots of wildlife, so keep an eye out for black rhino, hippopotamus, Nile monitor, wildebeest, gazelle, and crocodile.
The Amazon River is another super long river, and travels through Peru, Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Guyana. This massive river discharges an average of 200 million litres per second. That’s a lot of water. Not to mention that along this 4000 mile river, you won’t find a single bridge.
If you love animals, the Amazon River is an amazing trip> Have you heard of the pink dolphins? You’re also likely to spot anacondas, black caiman, giant river otter, piranhas, and Amazonian manatee.
The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world, running for 3900 miles. You’ll find it in china, and the drainage basin of this river covers 20% of the country. Expect to see Three Gorges Dam, Fengdu Ghost City, Goddess Stream, and plenty of Giant panda. If you’re lucky, you may even spot a snow leopard.
The Mekong is also in China, although it flows through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar as well. 75% of the annual flow of the Mekong is between July and October (with the monsoon). Be sure to keep an eye out for Mekong freshwater stingray, siamese giant carp, giant river carp, giant pangasius, and Mekong giant catfish.
Heading over to Europe, you’ll find the Danube, which is 1777 miles long. This river is one of the most important shipping routes in Europe, and connects with the Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean. It flows through Serbia, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Austria.
If you travel down the Danube, you’ll see incredible cities like Melk, Bratislava, Passau, Budapest, and Vienna. You’ll also be travelling near 200 species of fish, pond turtles, great white pelicans, and beavers.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, and you’ll find even more interesting information in this excellent infographic. Take a look to learn more about the rivers of the world.
Rivers around the world are very interesting. I hope you’ll find Murray river in Australia fascinating too.