Rivers for Kids

Got a project or test on rivers, well we’re here to help!

Maybe you’re just keen to find out all about rivers.

Well we’ve got it all, so read on!

All rivers start at the highest point in an area.

As it flows downstream, it keeps on getting more and more water from other streams, rivers, springs, rainfall and other sources of water.

So it actually gets bigger along the way.

A river is mostly freshwater that flows across the surface of the land, normally winding its way to the sea.

There is something called a river channel.

All rivers flow in channels and the bottom on the channel is the bed, and the sides are called the banks.

When one stream meets another, they join together.

The smaller stream is called a tributary. It takes lots and lots of tributaries to form a river.

A river grows larger as they collect more and more water from these tributaries.

Most rivers eventually, after their long journey, flow into a bigger body of water like an ocean, the sea or even a large lake.

The end of a river is called the mouth.

Rivers give us food, energy, fun, transport routes for boats, and of course water for drinking and watering those crops.

The Nile River – this river is 6,654km long and is in Africa.
The Amazon River – this river is 6,405km long and is in South America. It flows through 9 countries.
Yangtze River – this river is in China and is 6,303km long.
Mississippi River – the river system of the Mississippi River and Missouri Rivers is the longest river system in North America. It is 6,279km long. It flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Yenisei River – this river starts its merry way in Mongolia and flows through Russia to the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is 5,554km long.
Yellow River – this is the 6th longest river in the world, but the 2nd longest in China. It is 5,468km long.
Ob, Irtysh Rivers – the river system of the Ob River and the Irtysh River is 5,413km long. It goes through Russia, China and Mongolia. It sure likes to get around.
Congo River – this is another river that flows through quite a few countries in Africa before it reaches its home at the Atlantic Ocean. It is 4,702km long.
Amur River – this river is 4,446km long and meanders its way through Russia, China and Mongolia.
Lena River – this is another river that flows through Russia as it makes its way to the Laptev Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is 4,403km long.
So now you know all the longest rivers, let’s take a look at some fun facts.

The river Nile in Africa is the longest river in the world
We get drinking water from rivers
Some big cities are located near the banks of rivers
Small rivers can be also called streams, creeks, and brooks
There are over 250,000 rivers in the United States of America
The longest river in the USA is the Missouri River
The start of a river is called the head
The end of the river is known as the mouth
The Ganges, Yangtze and Indus rivers are the most polluted rivers on Earth.
There are 76 rivers in the world that are over 1,600 km long.
The USA alone has 5,632,704 km or rivers. No way, that’s a crazy amount!
Do you know the difference between upstream and downstream? Well upstream means the direction that the water’s source comes from, for example a mountain. Downstream means the direction that the water flows to get to its final destination.
On January 15, 2009, a US Airways plane made an emergency landing on the Hudson River which runs through New York. The plane got hit by birds, but that awesome pilot managed to land the plane in the river and not one person lost their life. Wow, it seems rivers have another use!