Rivers of the World

Total Questions: 31

1. Consider the following pairs : [I.A.S. (Pre) 2020]

(River)(Flows into)
1. MekongAndaman Sea
2. ThamesIrish Sea
3. VolgaCaspian Sea
4. ZambeziIndian Ocean

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (c) 3 and 4 only
Solution:Volga is the longest river in Europe carrying largest volume of water. It drains into Caspian Sea. Zambezi river either crosses or runs along the borders of six countries - Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and finally drains in to Indian Ocean.

Thames river originates in the Cotswold Hills and drains into North Sea. Mekong is the longest river in Southeast Asia. It drains into the South China Sea.

2. The largest river of the world in terms of drainage area, is- [R.A.S/R.T.S (Pre) 1999. 2000]

Correct Answer: (b) Amazon
Solution:South America’s Amazon river is the largest river in terms of its volume of flow in the world. Its area of drainage is about 70 lakhs square km. and the length is approximately 6,437 km.

3. Which one of the following rivers is the second longest river of the world? [Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

Correct Answer: (b) Amazon
Solution:
  • It is the world's largest river by water volume and width and the second-longest river in the world after the Nile.
  • Course: Its journey begins high in the Andes Mountains and empties into the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of Brazil.
  • River basin: It has the largest drainage area of any river system.

Its watershed spans the countries of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia.

Roughly two-thirds of the Amazon's main stream and by far the largest portion of its basin are within Brazil.

The river's size changes with the seasons. In the dry season, it spans 4 to 5 km in width, but during the wet season, this can swell to 50 km.

  • Tributaries: Notable tributaries include the Rio Negro, the Madeira River, and the Xingu River, among many others.
  • The Amazon Rainforest, which represents about half of the Earth's remaining rainforest, also constitutes its single largest reserve of biological resources.
  • It is sometimes referred to as the "lungs of the Earth" due to its role in regulating the planet's oxygen and carbon cycles

4. Which of the following rivers crosses the Equator twice? [U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2015]

Correct Answer: (a) Zaire
Solution:Congo river is also known as 'Zaire river' is the second largest river after the Amazon in the African continent. It crosses the Equator twice. The name "Zaire" for the river originated from the Portuguese explorers who encountered it in the 15th century, using a local word meaning "river".

During the period when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was called Zaire (1971-1997), the government also renamed the river the Zaire. While the name "Zaire River" is still used, the name "Congo River" is now the more widely recognized and used name for the river.

The Congo River is the second-longest river in Africa and the third-largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges rivers. The river is also known as "Fleuve Zaïre" and "Mto Kongo".

The Congo River flows through the Congo Basin, a vast area in Central Africa, which is the second-largest river basin in the world, after the Amazon River Basin.

5. Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2023]

Correct Answer: (a) Cameroon
Solution:According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Congo Basin spans across six countries - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

6. Which one among the following rivers is the longest? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2007]

Correct Answer: (a) Amazon
Solution:The world's three longest rivers and their respective length is given below:
River NameLength
Nile6695 km
Amazon6437 km
Yangtze6300 km

7. The longest river of South America — [48th to 52nd B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2008]

Correct Answer: (b) Amazon
Solution:Amazon is the longest river in South America. This river is about 6437 km long. Ships can sail up to 1,600 km distance. Apart from this, Nile (6,695 km) of Africa, Mississippi (3779 km) of U.S.A., and the river Ganga (2,525 km) are the important rivers.

In terms of length the Nile river is the longest river in the world. Countries like South Sudan, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Sudan and Egypt are the part of Drainage basin of the Nile river. Nile river, falls into the Mediterranean Sea.

8. Which of the following countries is not under the drainage area of the Nile river? [U.P.U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2013]

Correct Answer: (a) Chad
Solution:Countries like Burundi, Rwanda, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Eritrea, Uganda and Egypt are the part of the drainage basin of the Nile river. 'Chad' does not come under the drainage basin of River Nile. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

9. The Blue Nile river originates from? [U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2016]

Correct Answer: (b) Lake Tana
Solution:The Blue Nile river originates from the lake Tana in Ethiopia. The upper course of the river is called the Abbay in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile, also known as the Abay River in Ethiopia, emerges from Lake Tana.

The Blue Nile flows generally south from Lake Tana and then west across Ethiopia and northwest into Sudan. The lake is fed by several rivers, including the Gilgel Abay, Reb, and Gumara rivers.

The Blue Nile is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile River, along with the White Nile. The Blue Nile supplies a significant portion of the Nile's water, especially during the rainy season.

10. Assertion (A) : Egypt is the Gift of the Nile. [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2005]

Reason (R) : It is an oasis of the Sahara desert.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

 

Correct Answer: (a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Solution:Most of the population of the Egypt benefit from fertile land and water sources of the Nile river. Therefore, Egypt is called the gift of the Nile. The region through which river Nile flows is like an oasis in the desert.